Ninja Wizard V
by David4
Summary: The tournament's over, and Voldemort has returned. How is Harry to deal with that?
1. Playtime's Over, Mr Potter

inja Wizard V  
By David  
Disclaimer: All characters belong to RK Rowling. They aren't mine.  
Author Notes: These characters [ ] indicate Japanese being spoken.

Ninja Wizard V  
"Playtime's over, Mr. Potter"

Harry's bad feeling that Minister Fudge's announcement to the public had been right as the hall exploded in shouts of anger and indignation. Harry decided that being someplace else would be much better. He stood up and quietly left the hall. A few people watched him leave. Hermione wanted so much to get up and scream at the people but she didn't knowing that wouldn't help things. She stood up with the others and used the agitated crowd to leave the hall without being noticed. Dumbledore noticed Harry's departure and inwardly he was jumping for joy. This could be the break he was looking for. Now, how to exploit it? The other champions pretended to congratulate Cedric Diggory but inwardly the were beyond furious at the reaction of the crowd. They would find Harry later.  
Hermione followed Harry through a painting that led them to a flight of moving stairs.  
"What are you doing here, Hermione?" Harry asked  
Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry. "Came to show my support of you."  
Harry sighed as he took hold of her. "You really are a true friend."  
"This isn't over yet, Harry. Something's up and I have a bad feeling that everything up to now had been playtime. I think we need to get people together and make plans," she said.  
Harry nodded at that. "That's what I was planning on. I need to write a few letters asking advice and see what certain people say, and then call for a meet of our friends. We talk about things, and then we go from there. You are right, Hermione. Everything up to now has been playtime. Now it's over and things are about to get very serious. We need to start working harder."  
They arrived at the dead end. The lady in an evening dress appeared in the back of the door and nodded to Harry. "Hall's clear. Tomotsu Miyamoto is expecting you."  
"Thank you Miss Janet. Appreciate your help," Harry nodded to her as she opened the door.  
Miyamoto saw them on the other side of the hall as Harry and Hermione emerged. He opened the door to Harry's private flat and they walked in. Miyamoto closed the door behind them and then turned to face them. "So, what do you wish to do now?"  
"First a cup of tea. Then I write letters. Then I wait for the replies. I call a meet and get opinions from everybody. Then I analyze everything and make a decision," Harry informed Miyamoto.  
"Your ultimate plan of action?" Miyamoto asked.  
Harry grinned. "Kick ass. Take names."  
"This should be interesting," Miyamoto observed.  
Hermione nodded in agreement. "Why not just start doing it now? Pick a known associate of the Idiot-Who-Can't-Be-Named and trail him for a week."  
"That's an idea. Lucius Malfoy is the most obvious target. See who he meets up with and post their pics on the war room wall. Get Sirius to profile them," Harry said.  
Hermione looked thoughtful. "You could always start with Crabbe and Goyle. See where that goes."  
"I do wonder if they are a lot more intelligent than their sons are," Harry noted the names.  
Only one way to find out," Miyamoto said. "I'll go ask around. I just might get a few more names for you. "I'll do it tonight after curfew."  
Harry and Hermione turned to look at Miyamoto in surprise at that.  
"What?" Miyamoto exclaimed. "Yes, us people in the pictures do get around after hours. I play poker with a group up on the fourth floor every Friday night. I talk to a few close friends I know here and there, especially Sir Terrence, and he was an immense help to me when I first got here ages ago. If there is anything you want to know or need to know, he's the one to go to."  
"English, likes cigars and brandy?" Harry asked.  
Miyamoto beamed. "That's the one. He's been here since the late 1700's. The oldest painting in the castle is up in the headmaster's study, and he was reputed to be the very first headmaster after the Founders. He doesn't get out much, preferring to stay in his comfort zone. I've left messages for him asking for assistance and so far, no word."  
"He can't or he won't," Harry said.  
Miyamoto sighed. "I think it's more of he won't. There is the possibility that Dumbledore fixed it so all the former headmasters can't say anything that goes on in the headmaster's study. If they could talk, I imagine they would have quite a bit to say."  
"Would be nice," Harry grumbled. "They only way to get in there is to be invited in, and there's always someone in there. It would take something major for a headmaster to call you up and then suddenly leave in the middle of the conference."  
Hermione sighed. "Okay, so much for that one. Until we get a lucky break, the school library, Sirius, and the generosity of the paintings are gonna have to do."  
"I know. I just hope that we can get some good intel from them," Harry said.  
Miyamoto nodded. "If you know how to ask the questions and when to ask them."  
"Very true," Hermione said. "I've learned that from Harry over time."  
Harry turned back to his small table and sat down in the Japanese style. "So now we wait. In the meantime, I need to write some letters."  
"I'll come back later this afternoon. I'm going to go and chat up some of our friends," Hermione said, heading for the door.  
"Good luck, love. Be safe," Harry said as Miyamoto peeked out.  
The door popped open and Hermione left quickly. Harry turned to his writing set and started his first letter to his Japanese family. He had a lot of news to relate.

Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts.

To say that Minerva McGonagall was steamed would be an understatement. She was boiling. And Fudge knew without a doubt that he was the target of her imminent wrath. He suddenly wished he was someplace else. He felt like he was a kid being called into the principal's office after having been caught throwing spitballs. Dolores Umbridge, his private secretary, a woman who looked like a toad and garishly dressed up in pink, very loud pink, inwardly grinned. She knew just how weak and ineffective he was. More meat for her blackmail file, and if he kept this up, he'd be the guest of honor at his own ass roasting.  
"Umm, Miss McGonagall, ah, if we can just calm down a moment…" he began but then shut up quickly as McGonagall turned around and glared at him with fire coming out of her eyes.  
"Of all the idiotic, dumb, and stupid stuff you have ever done, that was the worst! You could have done it a bit differently!" she roared.  
Umbridge had no doubt that Fudge could hear that. It was louder than the clink of gold being dropped into his fat sweaty palms.  
Fudge shifted his position. "How?"  
"By announcing Diggory as the winner and keeping shut about Harry being the one to share first place. Kept it to yourself about the prize money going to Potter. Giving him his thousand galleons up here in the office. Now I must do something to calm everybody down. As it is by good fortune that Potter doesn't have to sit his end of year exams, I suggest that he be released from the school two weeks earlier so he doesn't have to deal with everybody here. I am sure he has his summer plans all drawn up and that he will be just fine," McGonagall said.  
Fudge scratched his face for a moment as he thought about what McGonagall just said. "Perhaps that would have been the better course. All right, please call him up here so I can give him his money and we will inform him that we are dismissing him early for his summer holiday early."  
McGonagall headed back to the big desk in the center of the room and sat down. She wrote the note and handed it off to Fawkes and he disappeared in a ball of flame. He found Harry at his low table writing letters. Harry looked up the moment Fawkes flamed in. He sat up with a smile.  
"Fawkes! Hello to you my friend," Harry reached out for the magnificent bird and gently petted him.  
Fawkes trilled happily and fluffed up his feathers in pleasure. He loved it when he went to visit Harry. He could always count on getting a warm welcome from Harry. Fawkes relaxed for a moment and then remembered his mission. He dropped the envelope on the table in front of Harry. He picked it up and looked at it. He noted the handwriting and knew at once it was from McGonagall. He opened the envelope and pulled out the note and looked it over. "McGonagall wants to see me in her office."  
"Best to not keep the lady waiting, Harry. I'll pass the word," Miyamoto said and went to the large painting in front.  
Harry stood up and reached for his leather jacket that he had been given and pulled it on knowing it was sometimes cold and drafty inside the castle. He glanced at the clock on the wall by the door as he slipped out the door. It was late morning and he was glad he was able to send off the last letter before having to leave. Harry stuck to the shadows and listened to the talk as people passed him, all of it not good. He decided to ask if he could leave now and not wait for the leaving feast in two weeks like he had planned.  
"I'm not running away, it's more of a discrete retreat," Harry reasoned to himself. "Anyone who's smart could see that. Besides, it's in the Book of Five Rings and Sun Tzu's writings."  
Harry watched as Slytherin house passed by led by Snape himself heading back to their commons room. Harry briefly debated pranking them before leaving and shelved that idea. He needed his head to be clear for the encounter that was awaiting him in the headmaster's office. He passed other people as he moved through the shadows. Getting to the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the headmaster's office, he wondered if there were other exits if this one was compromised. Interesting thought. He'd have to explore that thought much later. The gargoyle glared down at him.  
"McGonagall's Lions," Harry said.  
The gargoyle sighed and stepped aside. Harry grinned at it and headed up the stairs. It wasn't moving today and Harry was okay with that as he preferred to walk up. The exercise would do him good. He got to the thick wood door and knocked. The door opened of its own accord and Harry looked in. He was surprised to see Fudge and Umbridge there with McGonagall. This should be interesting.  
"Lady McGonagall," Harry said as he bowed.  
McGonagall nodded to him. "Do come in Harry. We need to discuss things."  
Harry walked in and the door closed behind him. Other than the things that was obviously McGonagall's, the place hadn't changed much.  
"Ah. Good evening Mr. Potter. So, nice to see you," Fudge began as Harry turned to him. "I must apologize for creating a bit of trouble for you down there this morning. I should have thought to speak to Miss McGonagall beforehand but I wasn't thinking. So, now here we are. I am here to present you with your one thousand galleons and my congratulations on sharing first place with Cedric Diggory."  
Fudge placed the bag in Harry's hands and nodded to him.  
"Now, seeing as to how my little announcement has caused you a bit of trouble, it was decided that you should start your summer holidays a bit early. You can leave anytime you wish. No need to sit for your end of year exams, you've been exempted from them," Fudge beamed.  
Harry nodded. "Thank you, sir."  
"Now I must be off. Work to be done," Fudge said and went out the door with a smirking Umbridge.  
Harry turned to McGonagall as soon as the door was closed. "He really is clueless to everything, isn't he?"  
"Harry, you have no idea," McGonagall said. "But you are right. He went out to lunch and never came back the moment he became Minister of Magic."  
"I'm willing to bet all of this was your idea," Harry said, lifting the bag. "Giving me the money here and letting me out of the castle two weeks early since I don't have to sit for the end of the year exams, and most importantly, avoid everyone wanting my scalp."  
"It was, and of course he grabbed all the credit for it," McGonagall grumbled.  
Harry smiled. "Ah, but that's what makes him such a great politician."  
McGonagall sighed. "I know. Now off with you, and please keep in touch with me."  
Harry saluted. "Aye aye, captain."  
Harry left the office now feeling much better than he had since breakfast.

Harry's private flat, that evening.

Harry set down the last letter and looked at the group that had assembled in his quarters. "So, can any of you agree or disagree to any of that?"  
Fred spoke up first. "Can't fault any of their logic. Your dad was right about one thing. Someone's got everyone all worked up over you. They were looking to get you out of your comfort zone and they succeeded for the most part. But you did use it all to your advantage by stepping back and looking to see who the key players were in all of this and a few of them emerged. Snape. Dumbledore. The Death Eaters. Someone was pulling their strings from the background, directly or indirectly."  
"I got that feeling too. Anyone get that impression?" Hermione asked.  
Nearly everyone in the room agreed.  
Neville nodded. "I bumped into Victor Krum earlier. He asked me to pass on a message and that was he was unable to be here and that he would keep watch from his school, and most importantly, Karkaroff did a runner last night."  
"I'm not surprised by that," Harry said as he sipped his iced tea. "I do remember telling all of you that he told Snape that his tattoo was getting more pronounced. That has to be some nasty ink put on a person."  
George looked up from the bit of parchment he was working on. "I can imagine the kind of spells that Twinkie put on it. I can guess at loyalty, compulsion, obedience, power draining in the event he needed to boost his own magic, and who knows what else."  
"Good guess," Miyamoto said from his place in his painting. "Back in my day we didn't need any of that. Being samurai was enough."  
"Okay. The plan for now is for you guys to put in your time for the last two weeks. I'm heading home to hook up with Sirius and Lupin and see what they must say about all of this since they didn't write back. I'm sure that Sirius is neck deep in cases since a few of the Aurors checked out after Sirius got done with them. Rumor has it that the real Mad Eye Moody got recalled back to the Teams as Sirius calls them. I won't know anything else until I do a sit down with them. You guys need to play it cool and go along with the others and watch to see who does a lot of the talking. Get with Cedric if you can and see which way he's leaning on this thing. If he's going to back me, great. If not, then I know someone got to either him or his dad. Train. Get up to the R&R and train. The more you work at your skills and magic the stronger you get. And not just your magic. Do some strength training as well. Do some fight training too. You need, we all need every advantage we can get against the brats," Harry said. "But do take a bit of time for yourselves."  
Luna smiled at that as she snuggled into Neville. "Oh, we will."  
Harry had to smile at that. "Good. You two got the right idea. Once school is done, I'll call a meet at my house. By then we should have a good idea of what's going on."  
"I don't think he's going to start anything just yet, having just regained a body," Neville said. "My guess is that he will lay low for a bit to see where he stands with his crew, maybe do a bit of recruiting, look for targets of opportunity, and see who starts making noise about him."  
"I'd do that if I were him," Fred stated. "Neville's called it right."  
George leaned back and handed his bit of parchment over to Fred. "I agree. I'd be a bit wiped out from regaining a body and then having gone through a wizard's duel I'd be laid up for a bit."  
"But where?" Hermione wondered.  
Harry finished off his tea and sat back. "Good question. It would have to be someplace familiar to him, or the house of a supporter, or the house of someone from his inner circle. I'm betting it will be some time before he's able to get up and get around, and that means nothing from him or his crew until mid or late summer."  
"That means we have time to prepare before they make their appearance," Fred observed.  
Harry nodded. "It does, but I'm not waiting for them to make the first move. As I said, I'm picking a target of opportunity and working that angle."  
"You kids need to head out," Miyamoto suddenly spoke up. "Dinner in the great hall."  
That broke up the meeting. They all headed out except for Harry. Dobby popped up with his dinner and Harry smiled. He could always count on Dobby to make him laugh.  
"Hey Dobby," he greeted the elf. "Thanks for dinner. The plan is now that I'm heading out to home tonight or very early tomorrow morning. I've got clearance to leave, so that's what I'm going to do. That tournament from hell is over, but what happened because of the damned tournament isn't. There's going to be a lot of trouble coming, what it is I have no idea. This is not going to be a good summer. Working holiday, I'm afraid."  
Dobby nodded his head, his ears flopping. "I understand, Master Harry. We'll be ready for them."  
Dobby popped out and Harry turned to his dinner.

Harry left the castle by a side door at four in the morning. He paused for a moment to reach out with his senses to ensure that there wasn't anything out there to get in his way. He swept himself with his Ollivander wand to ensure he hadn't picked up anything unusual and he hadn't. He slipped into the nearby bushes and headed for the far side of the grounds where the Forbidden Forest started. He paused by the first stand of trees to check the area. So far, so good. Harry turned and headed into the forest looking for the path that would take him off the grounds of Hogwarts. Harry had long ago learned that a part of the Forbidden Forest lay just inside the Hogwarts grounds, and Harry had taken pains to mark the spot where he knew he would leave the grounds and be able to portkey out of there. Harry listened to the sounds of the forest around him and it sounded normal to him, which meant the wildlife was going about their business as usual. Harry paused at a small stream to get a bit of water for his bottle and paused to listen to the sounds around him when suddenly they abruptly ceased. That meant there was something or someone in the immediate area that shouldn't be there. Harry stood up and in the space between breaths Harry was in Getsumi no Michi (a ninja discipline) and very aware of everything around him. Now he sensed the person approaching his position. Harry didn't waste any time. He began to move quickly through the trees, but the person behind him picked up his pace and made an effort to stay behind him. Harry immediately began using evade and escape tactics to outrun the guy that was following him. Harry tried everything to shake the guy. They went up and over tree branches, around trees, up and over large boulders as well as around them. Finally, Harry decided he should confront the guy and find out just who he was. Harry had the perfect place in mind. It was a clearing where he had made his stand against a flock of the Dementors. He stopped in the middle of the tall log that lay across the stream of water that flowed through the place and waited for the man to show. Harry had no idea just who the person was, he naturally assumed that it was a man following him. The person arrived in the clearing and saw Harry standing in the middle of the log waiting for him. He stepped forward and approached Harry. He was dressed all in black, a black mask covering his face. Harry immediately knew this man was ninja.  
[Ninja,] Harry said to him, [Why do you follow me? Did the Dumbledork hire you to follow me? He is a man with no honor.]  
The ninja glared at Harry and then suddenly attacked, his hands in claws rushing at Harry's face. Harry stepped back and casually flicked the attack off to the side and initiated one of his own. The fight was on. For the next few minutes the both of them traded blows, punches, kicks, and various other moves. Harry concentrated on what he was doing and where he placed his feet, having learned that lesson at the graveyard battle with Voldemort. At some point the ninja drew his ninja-to and attacked. Harry was able to block each sword strike by attacking the man's hands preventing him from completing the moves until the ninja wised up and back flipped out of range. Harry drew his sword and attacked, going offensive. Harry struck hard, driving the ninja back until the man forward flipped over Harry. Harry didn't waste any time. He spun around and pressed the attack once more, pushing at the ninja. The ninja moved backwards until he hopped off the log and back onto solid ground. Harry followed him, pressing the attack but pacing himself so he wouldn't tire out quickly. The ninja moved around him and Harry followed, pressing the attack until the ninja hopped back and raised his hands.  
[I give,] he said. [We must talk.]  
Harry watched him warily. [What is there to talk about, ninja?]  
The ninja sheathed his sword and reached up for his mask. Harry didn't let down his guard. He had seen this before in training and it had turned out to be a trick. Harry reached out with his senses and scanned the area around him. It was just him and the ninja there, nobody else. Harry still wasn't letting down his guard. The ninja pulled his mask up and back, revealing his face to Harry. It was the Japanese man from the third task.  
[Daito Shouta,] Harry bowed towards the man, relaxing just a little bit but not completely.  
The man returned the bow. [Lord Harry Potter. You are very skilled. Someone taught you well. The Kokura Ninja Clan?]  
Harry smiled. [Yes. I am Yamada Tadeo.]  
[I am honored to meet you, Tadeo. We have much to discuss,] Daito stated.  
Harry nodded. [You can find my Japanese family at the Japanese Embassy in London. Yamada Kotake is my father. He will know where to find me.]  
Daito nodded. [I know of him. I shall contact him immediately. Time is crucial, and what I have to say is important. What I have to offer you is important.]  
Harry bowed. [I would be interested in what it is you wish to tell me.}  
Daito returned the bow. {Until we meet again.]  
Daito disapparated leaving Harry alone in the clearing. Harry stood down and sheathed his ninja-to. He swept himself clean with the Potter wand and sighed in relief. He was clean of anything. He glanced at the Potter Family Ring he wore and thought the password that would activate the portkey function. A moment later he was gone, and the forest slowly returned to its noisy state.

Potter House, whereabouts unknown.  
Harry popped into the arrival room and turned to see Constantine Potter, the guardian spirit of the house. Constantine was a boy who lived way back in the days of old, gaining guardian status when he defended the house and the people in it while his father and brothers had been away.  
"Welcome home, Lord Potter," he bowed formally. "Sirius and Remus are in residence."  
"Good. Where are they right now?" Harry asked.  
Constantine sighed. "In the kitchen. Something about pizza flavored coffee."  
Harry grinned at that. "Yup, that sounds like them. Always wanting to come up with something new and interesting. I better go make sure they don't blow up the place."  
Harry left the arrival room and dropped his pack on the couch on the way to the kitchen. He found them sitting at the kitchen table.  
"Trying to blow up the place?" Harry asked casually.  
Both men turned to see Harry standing there with his arms crossed in front of him and looking stern.  
"Uh oh, methinks the warden has returned," Sirius cracked.  
Remus tried his best to look innocent as Harry sighed.  
"Boys, boys! What the hell am I gonna do with the both of you?" Harry asked.  
Sirius smiled grandly. "Love us?"  
Harry sighed. "You know I already do."  
Remus frowned. "Aren't you home early? You aren't due for another two weeks yet."  
Harry went to the counter and looked for a clean coffee cup and found one. He poured a bit of coffee into the cup and sipped it. Butterscotch coffee. Harry returned to the kitchen table and took a seat.  
"Not my idea. Have you guys heard the announcement his greatness Minister Fudge made at breakfast yesterday morning?" Harry asked.  
"No, but I'm sure it was a doozy," Sirius said, noting the serious look on Harry's face.  
Harry sighed. "Well, you ain't gonna believe this crap…"  
When Harry finished his monologue a half hour later, Sirius excused himself and left the kitchen. When he returned, he was carrying a bottle and three glasses. He sat down after putting the glasses and the bottle on the table. He opened the bottle and poured out three fingers of something and then put the bottle on the table. He pushed one glass to Remus, one to Harry, and kept one for himself. He raised the glass and the other two did the same.  
"May the Wizarding World rest in peace," Sirius said and then downed his drink in one shot, followed by Harry and Remus.  
He leaned back in his chair and contemplated things for a moment. "We have a lot of work to do. First off, Dumbledore went and did what I suspected he would do, and that was to restart the Order of the Phoenix. Yes, Remus and I did not get invited. Fine by me, as we have a few friends that got in the front door and they will keep us informed as to what goes on. You can bet they you will be the number one target, Harry. You will be wanted by three groups, the crybabies at the Ministry, the bird club, and the snake lovers. Dumbledork, Fudgie, and Moldy are gonna want you head on a silver platter if they can't have you playing for them, and they will want you playing for them and will go to great lengths to recruit you. So, you need to make a decision as to who you're going to play for."  
'Me, myself, and I," Harry retorted. "I've got Dumbledork's number. Fudge can have the damned ministry for all I care, and Moldy can go play with himself."  
Sirius and Remus smiled. "Good. That's what we thought you would say."  
"I have some idea at what kind of game Dumbledork is playing, and I don't like it. He expects me to kowtow to him and hang on every word he speaks and follow him blindly. Now that I know what the Prophecy says, it ain't gonna happen. I get the feeling he's gonna play me right up to the last second and give me half assed training and then throw me at Voldemort. At some point when both of us are weakened, he'll step in and finish us off. He'll hold me up as being some kind of brave hero and tell the world that Moldy managed to kill me and he killed Moldy. He'll use my supposed sacrifice as a way to take over the Wizarding World completely and rule. Fudge is wearing blinders. He's so weak and wishy washy. He's gonna try and shoot down anyone who tries to upset his apple cart by yelling liar at them when they try to tell everyone Moldy's back. He's bought off everyone he can. What he doesn't know is that Umbridge is measuring him for his funeral suit. You should have seen the look on her face while Fudge was acting oh so grandly when he gave me the thousand galleons. If he gets his claws into me, he would trot me out and make it look like I was doing something great for him. If not him, then the next Minister of Magic. Count on that. Moldy's only mission in life is to kill me and get off on it. Man's so delusional it isn't funny," Harry stated.  
Remus nodded. "I think you've got all of that summed up very well."  
"I agree. Calling a meet here once Hogwarts lets out for the summer?" Sirius asked.  
"Yes. I'm sure the crew will have quite a bit to report then. We need to lay some plans for the summer and work our asses off in the training room," Harry said.  
"Good, because we restructured our little club on paper and need to present it to all of you then," Remus said. "There's something else we need to discuss, too."  
Harry raised his head and looked at them. "What's that?"  
Both men looked at each other for a moment and then back at Harry. Harry had the sudden feeling that he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.  
"Out with it," he demanded.  
Sirius sighed. "Okay. It's like this. We love this place and being here, but we think you should have another place to operate from. Not my idea, Ragnock was the one who proposed it. It is a piece of property in the middle of England, perfect for getting anywhere in moments. It has the absolute best security arrangements goblin produced on the place, including some I suggested. It's a two story, nice colors that makes the place blend in with the other houses, and before you ask, no, it's not the Dursley house. Wrong neighborhood. You need to go and see it for yourself."  
"If anyone were to find this place like Dumbledork, the ministry, or Moldy, it's gone. Completely compromised. I don't want that to happen to you. I love this place, it feels right to me. It feels like home to me. I've never known a home other than Hogwarts and this is it," Remus said. "That's why we jumped at Ragnock's offer of a more secure base. You really have to see it."  
Harry sighed. "Okay. I'll keep an open mind about this idea. Right now, I'm gonna go upstairs and get dressed to go workout."  
"Good, because the goblins upgraded your training room," Sirius said.  
Harry turned to look at them on his way out of the kitchen. "Oh, I can't wait to see what your deranged little mind cooked up now."  
Both men laughed as Harry departed the kitchen.

Harry sighed as he wiped his face off with the small hand towel as both men huddled in the corner. He had to admit the first of many new scenarios was pretty good. DE's in the Japanese Embassy. Harry had to wonder where they had gotten the blueprints to the place because it was damn near close to the place, including the play room that Miyoshi played in. The cafeteria had been perfect for a food fight, something Harry had truly enjoyed. But the rest of the scenario had been something to think about as Harry hadn't realized that they could be trouble in there if for some reason the family had been compromised. Harry decided to bring that up at the family meeting.  
"Harry, you did well with this one," Sirius started the briefing. "You have been keeping up with your training over the year at Hogwarts despite all of the problems you were dealing with."  
"Miyamoto made arrangements for me to train in another room because my band knew about the R&R," Harry explained. "I'm still convinced that Hogwarts is sentient and is aware of everything."  
That had been an ongoing argument between the three of them for the longest time.  
"I'm not going to argue that point right now," Sirius continued. "I'm glad that Miyamoto was able to find you new training quarters. I hate to quote Mad Eye, but constant vigilance. That and constant working on your skills plus using the war gaming skills has done you a lot of good and you need to keep at it."  
Harry knew they were right. Especially now that Voldemort was back. He was going to need to work his skills a lot harder than he ever did before.  
"Playtime's over, guys. From here on one it gets real," Harry stated.  
The three of them knew that things were about to get worse. Beyond worse.

Next Episode: The quiet before the storm.


	2. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Ninja Wizard V: The Order of the Phoenix 02

By David

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling. Other ones are mine.

Author Notes: These marks [ ] indicate Japanese spoken. These marks ( ) indicate thoughts. This symbol * mark indicates animal speak.

Ninja Wizard V: The Order of the Phoenix 02

Chapter Two

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"

Harry stood in what was the living room of the house that was to be the base for his little group the next morning. He had to admit that Sirius was right, the location was ideal to operate from. Harry followed the two men as they walked through the house and he saw possibilities for each room. The house would become an expanded war room so to speak. Even the basement area was perfect for a spell arena. Harry turned to face Sirius and Lupin.

"Okay, this place is ideal, you guys were right about that. The area is perfect to move around unnoticed, the property is a bit smaller than Potter house but big enough, and it backs up to the woods out in back. Can we get the goblins to ward this place with a lot of good stuff?" Harry asked.

Sirius grinned. "Of course we can, Harry. Muggle repellants, the whole security thing. What did you have in mind for the rooms?"

"Gym in the one that overlooks the pool. Gotta keep up our workouts. The living room will be the main workroom. The upstairs bedrooms for guest and hospital rooms. The potions lab can go into the room next to the gym. We need to set up the fireplace to floo in or out, a security arrangement on that for unwanted company, but my biggest concern is a way to track DE movements so I'll know where to go when I need go after them if they raid someone's place," Harry said.

"The magical detector at the Ministry would be ideal, but there's no way I could get in there to get a look at it never mind trying to get the paper on the thing," Sirius stated. "We're just gonna have to do our best on that situation.

Harry sighed. "Yeah I know. Double the work for us. Would be nice if we had one."

"Didn't you tell us that you're meeting your folks this afternoon?" Remus asked. "Perhaps they know someone in the Japanese Ministry that could build us one."

Harry nodded. "I could ask when I meet them. Oh, that smaller room would be perfect for a computer center. Just have to harden the stuff so the magic around here doesn't blow it up. We need someone who's really good with that stuff to help with it all, and if they're a hacker that would be a plus."

"We can keep our ears out for anyone fitting that bill," Sirius said. "What I don't understand is how the DE's can use computers."

"The halfbloods and the muggle borns would know about computers, Sirius. The purebloods wouldn't as they have lived all of their lives in the Wizarding World," Remus stated. "My thinking is that either Voldemort knows and is ignoring that fact, or that he's in the dark about it."

"Just like the drugs that some of the DE's are selling to raise cash for him," Sirius said.

Harry made a face. "Be just like them to be involved in that stuff."

Sirius pulled out his pocket watch and studied it. "It's coming up on ten thirty, Harry. You need to get going or you're going to be late in meeting your family. Remus and I can handle getting things done here and set up."

"Right. I'll see you guys later," Harry said as he went out the front door.

Harry jogged down the path to the front gates. He paused halfway down the path and turned around to look at the house. It appeared to be a farmhouse and Harry did have to admit it had been a good idea to move the base of operations there. Nobody would give this place a second look if they stumbled across the place. Harry turned and jogged the rest of the way to the front gates. After looking around the area for a few minutes and making sure it was safe, he invoked the password to the portkey feature in his Family Ring and it took him to the alley just across the street from the Japanese Embassy. Harry casually strolled out of the alley once he was sure it was safe to and sat down on a park bench to observe the place and the surrounding area for a moment to make sure none of the Dumbledork's so called friends were there. Nothing raised any alarms in his head so he stood up, stretched, and began a slow walk towards the front door while keeping alert to everything going on around him. He made it to the front doors and went in. It never ceased to amaze him just how many people walked through the main lobby of the embassy as he heard several different languages being spoken. Harry went in the direction of the visitor's station and used his embassy card to enter, having gotten it when the family had first established themselves there as his parents worked as very minor diplomats. Harry had wondered just how his family had done it. He wanted to ask when they first got there, but realized that there were some things best left alone. So he never asked. Harry headed in the direction of what he knew to be the kid's area where the parents would drop off their kids for the day as they went to their respective posts. He knew Miyoshi would be there. He stood in the doorway going out into the yard and watched Miyoshi playing basketball with a group of kids and wondered when Miyoshi had started growing up. He shook his head and caught the ball as it went out of bounds.

"Hey, can I play?" he asked with a smile.

"TADEO!"

Harry sat at the table in the living room of the family quarters and listened to Miyoshi rambling on about what he had been up to since Harry had seen him last.

(Gee, had I been like that when I was his age?) Harry thought to himself.

[Are you listening, big brother?] Miyoshi asked impatiently.

Harry sipped his tea and put down the cup. [Of course I am. It's just that you remind me of myself when I was your age.]

[Really?] Miyoshi asked.

[Yes. You need to slow down and enjoy being young while you can. Don't be in a hurry to grow up, okay?] Harry said. [Now, is Mom and Dad coming home for lunch?]

[I don't know,] Miyoshi said. [Sometimes they do.]

Harry thought for a moment and then looked at the clock. It was now coming up on eleven thirty. [Well, let's plan on making dinner for everybody, okay?]

Miyoshi grinned. [Okay! Mom went shopping yesterday and got a bunch of stuff.]

[Good. That means we have a bit to work with then,] Harry said. [Now let's see, what can we do? We need to look and see what's here.]

Miyoshi raced off to the kitchen with Harry following him. This was going to be fun.

The first person through the door was Shizune, home from her secretary job. She paused in the doorway of the apartment and instantly knew Harry was there.

[Tadeo?] she called out.

Harry came out of the kitchen. [Hello mother,] he said and bowed formally.

Shizune hugged him. [It is good to see you my son. You look well.]

Harry stepped back. [Thank you mother, and so do you.]

[We are glad you are here. There is much to discuss,] she said.

[Can it wait until after dinner?] Harry asked.

Shizune nodded. [Of course, Tadeo. Your letters home have concerned us greatly. Now that I see you, I am relieved to see that you are well.]

The door opened at that moment and both Harry and Shizune looked to see who it was. Kotake was the first in the door, followed by Ichiro and then Hiroshi. Harry smiled as he saw them.

[Welcome home, my son,] Kotake greeted Harry formally.

Harry bowed. [Father, Ichiro, Hiroshi, it is good to see you again.]

{You look well,] Kotake said.

[I feel better now that I'm here,] Harry said. [I'm happy to see all of you again. I have made dinner for all of us.]

Kotake smiled. [Thank you, Tadeo. It has been a long day for all of us. Plenty of time to discuss matters after dinner, and there is much to discuss.]

Harry nodded. [Yes there is.]

[Let's get dinner on the table then,] Shizune said.

They followed her into the small dining room.

The conversation around the table had been light as a few funny stories were told, jokes exchanged, and food passed around. Once dinner had been cleared away and Miyoshi had been sent to his room to play on his xbox, the serious conversation began. Harry sipped his tea and took a moment to gather up his thoughts. Then he began by telling about the school year and left nothing out. The others just listened as they sipped their tea or sake. Then the questions began and Harry did his best to answer them all.

[Now we must tell you that we were approached by a man named Daito Souta a week ago,] Kotake began. [He wished to talk to us.]

Harry frowned at that. [That's the man who was at the tournament and then chased me through the forest as I was leaving this morning just after breakfast. Said pretty much the same thing to me. Yes, he is a wizard. The Japanese Ministry of Magic would know him. My dogfather is going to talk to them in the next day or two.]

Ichiro smiled at that. [I'm sure he loves being called that.]

[He does,] Harry chuckled. [He was the one who started that.]

Hiroshi spoke up. [What does he think of all this business?]

[I should introduce you to him and his best friend, Remus Lupin. Should have done that last summer. One of the things he did was to go and secure new property for us to base our operations from. His thinking was to protect Potter House from being discovered for one, and we can spread out a little better. It does have a few perks so it won't be all business there. We can key all of you into the wards so you all can get in whenever needed,] Harry stated.

[A good idea, Harry. I'd hate to see you lose that place too,] Ichiro said. [It's just too nice a place to lose and it's been in your Clan for ages.]

[That was the argument that they used on me and I did see their reasoning behind that,] Harry agreed. [They are working on it now to get it all set up.]

[What should we do with this Daito Souta?] Shizune asked.

Hiroshi leaned back in his place on the couch. [I say we meet him in neutral territory and see what he has to say. I am really curious as to why the Hand is interested in the coming war. Perhaps they have some kind of stake in all of this or some of their people are magical.]

Harry's eyebrows rose at the thought. [Never considered that. Yeah, let's meet the guy in a safe place and see what he's got to say. Then we can decide on how to deal with him.]

[Then it's agreed,] Kotake said. [Now, we have been busy tracking down DE's in the last few weeks as they are starting to make their appearance now that this Lord Voldemort has come back.]

They spent the next two hours discussing various people that Kotake, Ichiro, and Hiroshi had been tracking and what they did and who they met. Between the three of them they had developed more intel on potential targets. The meeting eventually broke up around ten thirty. Because it was so late, Harry decided to spend the night there. One thing was clear, there wouldn't be any kind of rest for Harry over the summer holiday from Hogwarts. The looming war had now become a reality.

A message was sent to the Japanese Ministry of Magic the next morning through Gringotts in an effort to locate Daito Souta and set up a meet. Sirius and Remus spent most of the day working on the new house getting the security measures in place. Harry went shopping and arranged for a few things to be sent to the house before it was put under the Fidelus and Unplotable wards. The obliviate ward worked great as the delivery people forgot why they were there in the first place. By late afternoon most of the stuff they needed was there. It was just a matter of setting it all up. Remus had been called away just before dinner having received an owl. Harry and Sirius wondered what it was all about as Remus rushed out the door. They would find out soon enough.

"Okay," Sirius huffed as he flopped down on the couch in what was the living room that would serve as the main war room, "the furniture is now in place down here. Let's take a break before we do the upstairs."

"I have to thank you for teaching me a lot of the household spells," Harry said as he handed Sirius a bottle of cold butterbeer. "They sure make the household chores a lot easier to do."

"I learned them a bit late in life as the Blacks had a number of house elves to take care of the house. But when I left my house at sixteen your dad's parents were more than willing to take me in. Your grandfather was patient with me and taught me a lot of the spells my mother neglected to teach me. Having the book to household spells came in handy. So make sure you study it so you can use the spells at Potter House. You don't want to get too dependent on Dobby to do everything even though he wants to. Gotta tell you, that's some gung ho elf," Sirius stated. "Glad you and Hermione bonded to them as they will be lifelong friends. Speaking of bonding, where's Fawkes?"

"I haven't seen him in a while. I think he went traveling around for a bit and that's good. Would be nice if he located others like them and found his family as well. The more I think of it, the more I'm convinced that it was something major that caused him to break the bond he had with the Dumbledork. Wonder what it was?" Harry asked.

Sirius sighed. "Must have been something he discovered about the old man, or he simply got tired of hearing the old guy plotting dirty against you. I'm convinced it was more of that than anything else."

"Well, we can speculate all we want, but it's between them. I am sure Fawkes will tell me if he so chooses one day, and yes, we can talk to each other when I'm in my bird form. A kick in the head, yah?" Harry grinned.

Sirius looked up at that. "Actually I'm not surprised by that as I can understand dog language when I'm in my dog form. You'd be surprised what a dog can tell you about his neighborhood. I've gotten really good intel that way. That's how we took down that one nest of DE's."

"Way to go!" Harry cheered.

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, and they managed to slip out on bail and we can't find them now. Someone inside the ministry managed to kill off the charges yesterday and Amelia Bones is steaming mad big time. She is the one who runs law enforcement for the Wizarding World."

"I'll remember that if I ever need help," Harry said.

"Good, and she knows that I'm your godfather so that makes things easier. So, are you gonna go hang out with Hermione at all this summer?" Sirius asked with a grin.

"I'm going to her house this Saturday night for dinner," Harry said.

Sirius sat up and smiled. "Ah, getting to meet the parents. How fun!"

Harry groaned. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that."

"Okay. The best thing to do would be to take little gifts. A bottle of something for her Dad, and flowers for both of the ladies. Dress up nice, but not formal. Slacks and a polo shirt would be ideal. Arrive on time, and mind your manners," Sirius stated. "You do want to make the right impression on the parentals. Very important."

"Yes daddy," Harry grinned.

Sirius sighed. "Our little boy is all grown up now."

"I know where I have a bar of flea soap," Harry shot back. "Time for Snuffles to have a bath."

Sirius turned pale at that.

By the time Friday mid afternoon came round, the house was completely set up except for the computer room. Remus had not yet returned from where he had gone to in a hurry. The Japanese Ministry of Magic reported that Daito Souta had received his letter from them so now it was a matter of waiting for him to appear. Harry was looking at the wall that he had set up with all of the intel he had gathered over the last four years. Thanks to Sirius being back in the Auror Teams, he had cleared up a lot more mysteries about some of the people that Harry had pictures for those who were posted on the wall. Harry decided to run an operation against Lucius Malfoy and see what kind of people he dealt with on a daily basis. Sirius had been extremely helpful there, providing Harry with a list of Malfoy Sr. associates.

"Yeah, I know this guy," Harry said, pointing to a name. "I've encountered him once before. He managed to give me the slip before I could move on him."

"That guy is bad news, Harry. Likes to do his killing up close and personal," Sirius said.

"I've been working on my close quarter combat tactics of late and even though I'm confident that I can beat him, I'll be careful of him. Never know what a cornered beast can and will do," Harry said. "He's a target of opportunity if he does cross my path."

"Well, just be careful," Sirius cautioned.

Harry stuck the list to the wall. "I plan on it. Believe me on that."

Sirius nodded. "Good. I haven't heard anything new on him so he may have gone to ground in light of recent events. When he does surface, I'll know it."

"Where's Remus?" Harry asked. "It's been a while since we've seen him last."

Sirius sighed. "Off talking to a few people he knows. Hopefully he can convince a few to turn to our side. Would be nice to have a few more allies."

Harry nodded. "Yes it would. But for now I would settle for having him back in one piece."

"I agree. Dinner still on for tomorrow night at the Grangers?" Sirius asked.

"It is. I plan on getting there around five or so," Harry said. "Really looking forward to it."

Sirius grinned. "So is it starting to get serious now?"

Harry thought about that for a moment. "Yeah, I guess it is. It was Hermione who wanted to move on to the boyfriend/girlfriend stage but not with all of the romance stuff just yet."

"Good move, kid. Take it slow and easy, don't rush things, and make sure she's in agreement about things relationship wise before making any more moves. Don't want to scare her away by moving too fast," Sirius said. "I know, I've learned a few things from some of my previous relationships with the ladies. All I can tell you is to just be yourself and she'll love you."

Harry smiled. "I will. I can be myself around her as I know I don't have to impress her at all. One of the boys from Gryffindor tried to impress her with some macho act and she really put him in his place. I don't think he ever tried anything with any of the girls at Hogwarts that year."

"Been there, done that, and lost my pride spectacularly. Your Mum put me back in my place in a big hurry. Then your Dad swooped in and she mashed him flat in seconds. After that he treated her right and… well, you know the story. They really were perfect for each other," Sirius said with a smile.

Harry could see the faraway look in the older man's eyes and knew he was remembering those days. Harry decided to leave him alone and let him remember the pleasant moments of his life. He knew Sirius had very few moments like that from his past and that sometimes it was a good thing to dwell on good memories to banish the bad ones. Harry knew he had one good memory to look forward to Saturday night. Dinner at Hermione's house. Harry hoped it would be an evening he would never forget in a long time.

Hermione and her parents lived in a small house in one of the better parts of London, a place called Battersea Park, the Grangers having their office in Chelsea Bridge Business Park. The Doghouse was located in Spooner Row so Harry would have to apparate into a dense stand of trees fairly close to the Granger house and walk a short distance to the house. Harry had been there a few times before and knew just where it was. Battersea Park was usually occupied by runners in the late afternoon so Harry felt reasonably safe in going there. Unfortunately a heat wave had started driving most people inside to seek relief from the heat. Harry had taken to carrying around a bottle of water that he kept cold with a chill spell that Hermione found for him to use. Harry had the goblins create a safe spot for him to arrive in that unsuspecting muggles wouldn't notice in the stand of trees on the edge of the park, not too close to the house as it could give away Hermione's location to anybody who might be looking for her and Harry didn't want that. He'd paid the goblins for an extensive security ward package on her home wanting to protect them. Hermione had appreciated Harry's efforts to protect her and her parents.

Harry spent most of the day working with Sirius in getting little things done to finish setting up the Doghouse as Sirius took to calling it. Sirius allowed Harry to pursue some of his current case files to see if there was any information that he could use or was missing from his files, or that could tie certain people together. Harry managed to put a few pieces, but by the time three in the afternoon rolled around, Harry was ready to call it quits.

"Had enough, pup?" Sirius asked as he came out of the kitchen.

Harry sighed as he turned to Sirius. "Yes. A lot of what I've got here is repeat information."

"Well, you're gonna have to put all of that on hold for now. You got a dinner date in two hours. Better hit the shower," Sirius said.

Harry smiled at that. "Now that's something pleasant to talk about."

"Well get going then," Sirius growled.

Harry stood up at attention and saluted Sirius. "Yes sir, General!"

Sirius started after him and Harry went around the far end of the tale as he laughed. Sirius chased him to the bottom of the stairs and stood there watching Harry run up the stairs. He sighed as he fondly remembered the one girl back in his first year of Hogwarts.

"Wish I could remember her name," he sighed as he turned back to the kitchen.

Harry came down a half hour later and Sirius turned away from the large conference table.

"Looking good, kid. First time meeting the parents?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "I've met them before, and they are really nice people. I really like them, and they seem to like me a lot. You have to meet them sometime."

"I should," Sirius nodded. "Be nice to know who they are in the event I ever have to contact them for any reason."

Harry cringed at the thought. "And let you prank them?"

Sirius grinned broadly. "Oh what a brilliant idea!"

"I better warn them then," Harry sighed.

"Ah, come on, kid. I ain't that bad," Sirius

Harry sat up. "Oh? Who short sheeted my bed? Wrapped the toilet seat with saran wrap? Poured corn flakes under the bottom sheet on my bed? Put blue dye inside the shower head? Shall I continue?"

Sirius did his best to look innocent as Harry sighed.

"What am I gonna do with you, old man?" Harry asked.

"Love me?" Sirius asked.

Harry sighed once more. "You know I do. You're the closest thing I've got to a dad."

"Thank you for that. I appreciate that," Sirius smiled.

"It's the truth," Harry said.

Sirius walked over to where Harry sat and reached out for him. Harry stood up and Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry and gave him a hug. Harry felt warm and secure in the older man's arms. Deep down he was sure his dad would have appreciated Sirius being there for him.

"Oh, and one more thing," Sirius said as he lightly slapped Harry on the butt, "less of the old man thing, okay?"

Harry laughed as he returned the hug. "Yes daddy."

Sirius felt good as he watched Harry head into the kitchen. He hoped that these light hearted moments would carry them through what was to come. He knew deep down inside of him that Harry had to do what he had to do to stop Voldemort and the DE'S and he vowed that he would make many more light hearted moments to balance things out. He watched Harry sitting at the kitchen table sipping tea for a time as he thought of Harry experiencing life as he should. He snapped to when Harry came out of the kitchen and waved at Sirius.

"I'm heading out," Harry said.

Sirius smiled. "Good. Have a great time."

"I plan on it," Harry said and then apparated out of there.

Sirius sighed and turned his attention back to the table and the mound of paper in front of him.

Harry appeared in the stand of trees there in Battersea Park that he knew was safe. As per his habit he looked around to make sure it was safe to break cover. He noted just how hot it was.

"Damn. Nearly five and I had hoped it would get cooler," he grumbled as he set out for the Granger house.

The heat spell that had swept over England had been nasty. Everywhere Harry looked there was brown grass, dead plants, and wilting trees. The government had declared a water ration in an effort to save water. Harry wiped the sweat off his face as he headed to the path that would take him to Hermione's. He chanced to look up and saw what appeared to be a man in front of him at a distance about to enter a tunnel that would take them underneath a running track. As soon as the man entered the tunnel, the temperature suddenly began to drop. Harry shivered in the sudden cold and then suddenly realized why. No, it's couldn't be.

"Dementors!" Harry spoke out loud as the wand he used in school appeared in his left hand.

He broke into a run and slid into Getsumi no Michi in seconds and his pace sped up. He reached the entrance to the tunnel just in time to see a pair of dementors standing over the man lying on the ground. They turned to see Harry at the far end of the tunnel. One turned to Harry and started after Harry. Harry reached down inside of him and found the memory of Hermione kissing him. He took the joy of it and channeled it into the Patronus spell.

"Expecto Patronum," Harry intoned, and a heavy silver mist burst forth from his wand, and into the form of a stag.

The silver stag snorted and charged the dementor in front of him and completely destroyed it. The second one was leaning over the man and it barely turned its head to see what the commotion was. It stumbled back before the silver stag plowed into it, throwing bits and pieces of it all over the place. The stag turned to the man on the ground and nuzzled his face, and then looked at Harry. He nodded once before fading away. Harry ran over to where the man was and got down on his knees to roll him over and check on him. He was shocked when he discovered it was Dan Granger.

"Chikusho [shit]! Not you!" he yelled out in anger. "I gotta get you home!"

Using wingardium leviosa, Harry floated Dan out of the tunnel and towards Hermione's house. Thankfully there wasn't anyone around to see what was going on. The scorching heat had returned and Harry was sweating buckets by the time he got to Hermione's front door. He banged on the door a few times until Hermione opened the door.

"Harry, what?" she started to say as he pushed past her, her father floating behind him.

"What the hell happened?" Hermione shrieked as Harry settled Dan on the couch.

Harry quickly checked Dan's vitals. "Dementors."

Hermione ran upstairs as Emma appeared. She brushed Harry aside and checked Dan's vitals. Hermione came thundering down the stairs with something in her hands. "Honeyduke's best chocolate. Best cure for dementors, Mom."

She broke it down into crumbles and dropped it into her father's mouth. Dan's reaction to the chocolate was automatic, he swallowed it and slowly the color returned to his face. He came to after a half bar, and then managed to sit up.

"Here Dad, eat the rest. It will help you recover from them," Hermione said.

Dan slowly ate the rest and within moments he was looking better.

"What were those things?" he asked.

Harry sighed as he sat down on the other couch. "They are called dementors. Foul creatures that guard the Wizarding World's prison, a place called Azkaban. Sirius can tell you for a fact that it's the darkest, most foul place ever created to keep criminals in. What they do is they suck all of the warmth, happiness, and joy out of a person and make them relieve the very worst moments of their lives and induce the worst sort of nightmares in a person. They also do what's called the Dementor's Kiss, and there is nothing nice about their kiss. They will slowly suck your soul out of you and leave you with an empty shell of a body. The worst possible kind of death there is, as you slowly die from the loss of your soul. There is only one way to stop them, and that is an expecto patronum. I gotta call the goblins and see if I can get that added to the wards on the house here, the Doghouse, and my place."

"Uh Harry? We got bigger problems," Hermione said from the front window.

Harry joined her at the window and blinked at the sight. Several owls sat on the fence across the street watching the house. Harry had the very bad feeling why they were there.

"Idiot me!" he exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "I used my school wand to defend us!"

Hermione turned to Harry. "Does this mean that you're in a lot of trouble?"

A soft ding sounded from upstairs.

"My mailbox. I used the notification option," Hermione said as she raced upstairs.

She returned moments later holding out a piece of paper. "It's from Sirius! He says retreat to Potter House right now!"

Harry read the note and sure enough it was from Sirius telling him to do just that. It even had the secret mark inside the bottom of the letter s in his signature.

"Sorry about dinner Hermione," Harry apologized.

"Better get going, Harry. We'll be just fine. I ran off Dumbledork once before, how bad can a handful of wizard cops be?" Dan stated.

Harry nodded and mentally called out the password that would activate the ring's portkey function. He slumped against the wall in the arrival room and cursed his bad luck. After a moment he stood up as Constantine appeared.

"Harry," he nodded.

Harry looked up. "Real bad luck tonight, Constantine. Tighten up everything, scan all incoming parties for potential hostiles using them to gain access here. In fact, start doing that from now on. Just the people on the access list allowed in."

"As you wish Lord Potter," Constantine bowed.

Harry headed to his study and sat down at the desk. The paintings on the walls of the Potter relatives recovered came to life.

"Harry, what's wrong?" James Potter asked from his painting.

Harry sighed. "Shit happened, Dad."

"Harry! Language!" Lily Potter scolded.

Harry had to smile at that. He reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out a small bottle of firewhiskey and had a small nip of it. Then he related the events of the evening. By the time he was done, Lily looked extremely pale, his father was beyond pissed, and the rest of the Potter relatives were angrily muttering amongst themselves. Harry leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He meditated for a bit and then opened his eyes to see his letterbox glowing. He reached for it to find two letters. One was from Sirius and the second one was from Gring, the goblin lawyer Harry had on retainer. He read the one from Sirius first.

"Okay pup, you have some problems to deal with. First off, the Ministry wanted to hunt you down, snap your wand, expel you from Hogwarts, and drag you off to Azkaban. I was able to talk Madame Hopkirk out of that, so you are technically safe for now. Second problem is that they want to put you on trial for breaking the secrecy laws. I contacted Gring, so you should be hearing from him. My advice to you is to either stay at Potter House or here. The only time you go out is when you are operating in ninja mode. I've contacted the Yamadas and advised them on the situation. You might be hearing from them as well. Hang in there, pup. Not the end of the world. We'll beat the charges, no problem. Go work out. Destroy a few of the tangos in the training room," Harry read out loud.

"Sound advice, son. Go work out in the training rooms and try not to worry about the situation," James said. "Let Gring and Sirius run interference for you."

"Is Hermione's father okay?" Lily asked.

Harry nodded. "Hermione knew just what to do. She had a bar of Honeydukes chocolate in her room and she fed it to her dad. He came out of it just fine."

"Good show," Harry's grandfather Charles spoke up. "Right smart lassie."

Harry grinned. "Number two in our year, grandpa."

"Oh bravo!" a painting spoke up.

Harry turned to Gring's letter. "Lord Potter, I have been informed of your misadventure with the Ministry." Harry snorted. "Lord Sirius Black and I have negotiated on your behalf a hearing in the offices of the DMLE regarding this matter. I am confident that we can resolve this matter barring any complications that might arise. It is my advice to you to stay out of the public until this misunderstanding can be resolved."

"I think I speak for all of us here when I say this Gring fellow has good advice," Charles said. "Stay here for a time. I do have much to tell you, and hopefully it will help in your quest, not to mention a few stories about your father and his friends."

Harry nodded. "Okay, I will. Anything any of you can tell me how best to beat Voldemort will be considered. No, I don't think running him down with a pack of wild horses will help, although it might be a good distraction tactic."

That got a laugh from everybody. Harry turned to the desk and wrote out two letters, one to Sirius and the second to Gring informing them that he was going to stay at Potter House for a time. Then he wrote a longer one to his Japanese Family telling them of the evening's events. He leaned back in his chair feeling completely drained of all emotion. He sat there for a time and listened to the talk going on between the paintings. At one point he realized that he was hungry so he went into the kitchen and put together a salad and a sandwich. He put the dishes into the sink and headed into the TV room to see if there was anything worth watching and there wasn't. He leaned back in the recliner and relaxed. The next thing he knew the clock on the end table was striking midnight. He stood up and stretched, feeling things popping in his body. He left the TV room and headed up to bed. He hoped everything would look better in the morning. He hoped so. It was something Hermione would say, knowing her. He thought of his Japanese family. No doubts they would agree with her on that one. He was glad they had approved of her and the Grangers. He reached his bedroom and walked out onto the balcony. The hot air swirled around him and Harry was surprised it was still so hot at midnight. He hoped it would cool down soon. He left the doors open and headed to bed, dropping his clothes onto the big chair by the doors. He got into bed and stretched out once more and then relaxed.

The morning sun coming into the room through the open doors woke him up. He reached for fundoshi and shorts and got dressed. He headed downstairs, the smell of coffee making him smile. Dobby knew just where the best coffee could be found and brewed the best coffee he'd ever tasted. He took a detour to his study and found a few letters in there. He took them to the kitchen and found Dobby bustling around cooking.

"Master Harry!" the elf beamed.

Harry smiled at the hyper elf. He could always count on Dobby to make him smile.

"Good morning Dobby," Harry greeted him as he sat at the counter on a bar stool.

He sipped his coffee while pursuing his mail. Hermione was first.

"Harry, I'm at the Doghouse pursuing Wizarding law in regards to your situation. I know it's going to be just a hearing in the DMLE office, but I want you prepared. I've been in touch with Gring and forwarded to him a number of cases involving kids defending themselves and muggles that had very favorable outcomes in their cases. He told me he'd look at them," Hermione wrote.

Hermione was on the case.

"Lord Potter," Gring's letter began, "I have opened a dialog with a Madame Bones, the head of the DMLE in regards to your case. I have forwarded to her your statement of the incident that you sent me last night. Miss Granger has been kind enough to send me a few cases of kids defending themselves and muggles in dire situations with favorable outcomes. They will be most helpful in the event that they are needed. Special agent Black of the Aurors is investigating as well and I do await his report. I cannot stress enough that you stay at Potter House. The Dumbledork is looking for you as well as the bird club and it would not do if you were to be caught by them. I shall inform you of the time and date we are to attend the hearing."

"Wow, talk about being direct and to the point," Harry said through a mouthful of toast.

Dobby paused on his way to the sink. "Gringotts goblins are very direct and to the point. They don't believe in wasting time on anything."

"You've been to Gringotts?" Harry asked.

"For my former master many times," Dobby said. "Now I go for you to get money to care for the house and you."

"You're awesome, Dobby. Thank you for all you do," Harry said.

He turned to the next letter and discovered it was from Kotake. "Son, all of us are distressed over recent events. We think that you should stay in safety at Potter House until this all blows over. Should you go out on a run be careful as it could be a Dumbledore trap. I have contacted Sirius and offered our help. The one thing you need to know is that all of us are behind you."

Harry smiled. It was nice to know there was family behind him. The next letter was from Sirius.

"Hey pup, just relax and work on your training, list to your folks, and try not to worry about a thing. It's all under control," Harry read.

"With all of this support behind me I can't lose," Harry said to Dobby.

"Master Harry's enemies don't stand a chance," Dobby said confidently.

"Thank you for that vote of confidence, Dobby. I need all I can get. Now I'm gonna go down and get in a work out. I need to kick some ass," Harry said.

Harry pulled on a pair of trainers (what the English call shoes) and went for a run around the estate. He came back drenched in sweat. He grabbed a cold bottle of Gatorade from the cooler down in the training room and took a few minutes to cool down and then started pumping iron. Harry's body had responded well to the weight lifting he did on a daily basis and his body had taken on a muscular build. He took his time in doing each thing, working the weigh to complete failure. Once he was done with that, he headed into the spell area that the goblins had designed and built for him. In one corner was a group of simulated DE's and Voldemort. In the opposing corner was the Dumbledork and a few of his followers. Harry grinned at them as he assumed his position.

"Okay, who wants to get their ass kicked first?" he asked them.

Voldemort was the first to move followed by the Dumbledork. Harry grinned and charged.

Next Chapter: The action starts!


	3. Night Moves, Potential Allies

Ninja Wizard V 03

By David

Disclaimers: I do not own Harry Potter and company. JK Rowling has that pleasure.

Author's Notes: These characters [ ] indicate Japanese spoken.

Ninja Wizard V 03

"Night Moves, Potential Allies"

Harry watched the man move away in the shadows after leaving the limo he knew belongs to one Lucius Malfoy. Harry briefly wondered just how Malfoy used a limo to get around in the muggle world when he knew the man looked down on anything muggle. Seeing Malfoy senior in the limo proved to Harry that the man was definitely two faced. Harry shifted as he got ready to follow the man. Tonight he looked like one of the street kids that hung around the area. Being ninja didn't always mean running around in black ninja suits although there were times when they were very useful. Tonight Harry was in disguise as he was to follow the man to where ever he was going. The man barely glanced around before heading off down the street. Harry slumped down against the stoop of a rundown building as the man passed him. Harry managed to tag him with a tracking spell that would make tailing the guy much easier. He gave the man ample time to get down the street before he started off after him. The man led him down the street deeper into the row of tenement housing until he stopped at one. Harry melted into the shadow and waited. The man went inside the building. Harry gave him five minutes and then followed him inside. It was dark inside what was supposed to be the lobby area. Harry shook his head at all of the graffiti on the walls. He frowned at the sight of one particular bit of art. It was of a three pointed crown with a stick leaning against it, the tip glowing. That one had been popping up a lot of late according to the other ninjas that were under his command. He mentally took a picture of it and moved on. He wondered if they supported the Idiot-That-Must-Be-Named or not. The only way to find out was to catch one of them and ask. Harry filed that away in his filing cabinet.

He went up the stairs taking his time as to not spook the guy he was following. Harry decided not to worry about the guy coming up the stairs as there was some kind of argument going on upstairs someplace. Sounded a lot like a man yelling at somebody. Harry kept on going until he got to the fifth floor. He peeked around the corner just in time to see the man going inside an apartment. Harry waited until he heard the door close before moving down the hall to the room. He put his right ear to the door and listened. He could hear something going on inside. Before Harry could decided what to do his danger senses was going off. He turned to see a barrel of a gun pointed right at him. He looked up into the face of the person holding the gun and then wished he hadn't. She was the ugliest thing Harry had ever seen. Several teeth missing, her make up on so heavy she must have applied it with a trowel, clothes looked like they were dug out of a trash can, reeked of alcohol and cigarette smoke, she looked like something a cat puked up, or she had been brought here from darkest Africa, Harry couldn't decide.

"Hello dearie," she rasped, making Harry cringe.

Her voice sounded far worse than fingernails on a blackboard.

"Looking for someone?" she grinned.

"A friend of mine," Harry said calmly. "From school."

She laughed at that and the sound reminded Harry of Sybil Trelawney having one of her fits. She reached into her left pocket and produced a key. She unlocked the door and used the barrel of the gun to move Harry inside the room. She closed the door behind her.

"Looky here, Kevy!" she called out. "Caught me a little birdie!"

The man she called Kevy turned around to look. "You didn't grab him, did you?"

She cackled as she maneuvered Harry to stand against one of the walls with his back to it. "Not this one, Kevy. Had his ear to the door, he did. Now raise yer mitts, boy!"

Harry did and Kevy closed manacles around each wrist tight. "There. Now he won't be going anywhere. You can put that thing away now, Lydia."

She stowed the large revolver in the bag she carried. Harry's calm orderly mind noted that it had a large hammer on it and the barrel was large enough to fire the .357 caliber round. Harry had been trained by the Japanese Secret Service how to recognize and fire numerous types of guns, from the smallest .25 to the biggest gun possible, a .50 caliber Barrett sniper rifle. He wondered if he should install a gun range back at Potter House to practice his sharpshooting skills in the event that he had to call on those skills. He'd discuss it with Sirius later.

Kevy went back to the table for a moment and then returned. He took a drink out of the glass he was holding and set it down on the smaller table on Harry's right. "Well, let's have a look at him then. He does have a certain appeal about him. If we contact the right people we could get a fair bit of money for him."

Harry shivered at the sound of that. Even though Sirius had made an effort to hide certain Auror files from him Harry had come across information on such people and what he read had made him physically sick. Now here was one of them about to feel him up. Harry wasn't about to allow that. Harry relaxed and let himself go into full battle mode as he gathered up all of his energy. Kevy stood in front of him with Lydia partially behind him and reached out to Harry. Harry attacked, his right foot coming up and forcefully parked in between Kevy's legs, forcing the man's bits to be mashed hard against his body. Kevy stumbled back, grabbing himself as he knocked down Lydia. Harry used his magic to pull his hands free as he watched Lydia roll backwards away from them. Harry then used his left foot to kick Kevy hard in the head and knocked the man out. He turned his attention to Lydia and she was trying to pull the gun out of her bag. Harry leaped over the prone body of Kevy and jumped on top of Lydia and introduced his left fist to her already ugly face, breaking her nose and making it a bit more flat than it was. The back of her head made contact rather forcefully on the floor and she was knocked out. Harry retrieved the gun from her bag and set it aside. Using incarcerous, Harry tied them up tight. Harry sat down on the nearest chair and took a moment to calm himself down and to will his body to not upchuck at what had just happened. Harry then reached into 'shadow' and retrieved his mobile. He had some calls to make.

Three hours later Harry was back at the Doghouse with Kotake, Shizune, Sirius, and Hiroshi. He raced up the stairs and shedded the clothes he had on when he got into the bathroom. He stepped into a hot shower and started scrubbing down as Sirius and Kotake walked in.

"Are you okay, pup?" Sirius asked with concern in his voice.

"Take those clothes out and burn them, will ya? I don't want to see them ever again," Harry said as he continued to scrub down. "Gods, I feel so dirty after those two touched me."

"Did they actually…" Kotake trailed off, afraid of the answer he would get.

Harry shook his head. "No they didn't. I stopped them before Kevy did."

Both men sighed in relief. Sirius pointed his wand at the pile of clothes on the floor and banished them.

"Come on down when you're done with your shower, son. We can talk then," Kotake said.

Both men left Harry to his shower. Harry rinsed off completely, and then soaked for a time in a hot tub until the water cooled off. He got out, dried off, and went into his room. He tied fundoshi on him and then got into a plain brown kimono. He came down the stairs and the adults in the room turned to look at him. The head of the Japanese Secret Service London was there and he turned to Harry.

[Tadeo-san, are you all right?] he asked.

Harry sighed and reached for a bottle of sake on the table and poured himself a bit. [I will be in time, Tanaka-sama. I cannot believe there are people who… are that way.]

[It is unfortunate that you had to find out, Tadeo. I know you have told your story a few times to the investigators, but I would like to hear it from you,] Tanaka said.

[I'll do you one better. I'll put the memory into a pensive and play it,] Harry said.

Sirius went to the side table and returned with a brown bowl that had all kinds of runes inscribed on it. He set it in the center of the table. "I got this one for all of us to use after operations so all of us could view memories and discuss them and look for things that the person might have missed. Oh, just to let all of you know, I've cast a translating spell so I know what's being said."

Tanaka nodded. [This pensive is very interesting. I should have one for all of my people to use after operations. However, not all of my agents are magical. Sirius-san, that translating spell is very effective. There are times I have wished for such a thing at my disposal.]

They turned to see Harry pulling the white strand of memory out of the right side of his head and depositing it in the bowl. He stood up and went into the kitchen before Sirius activated it. Harry sat at the kitchen table and sipped the sake until Shizune walked into the kitchen. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around Harry from behind him.

[I am sorry you had to experience such a thing, my son. You did well to stop them from doing you any harm. Perhaps you should stand down for a time,] she said.

[I can't, Mom. Not while Voldemort is out there. He has to be stopped one way or another, and that means fighting all of his people, no matter what. I can't let what those two did to me stop me from fighting Voldemort. I will stop him,] Harry said.

[And all of us will stand with you in your quest to free the world of that monster,] Kotake said.

Harry looked up to see all of the adults nodding their agreement.

"Even the Potter Family stands with you in spirit," Sirius said. "Can't beat that."

"Damn straight!" James Potter shouted from his painting in the living room.

Sirius had set up several blank paintings in the living room that would allow James and Lily Potter, Phineas Black a former headmaster and Sirius' grandfather, Charles Potter Harry's grandfather, access to the house anytime they needed to.

"Hear hear," Phineas spoke up. "You have some serious brass, young man."

Harry went to stand in front of them. He looked up into their faces. Lily Potter had tears in her eyes.

"You were such a brave boy, Harry. I wish you didn't have to live with that curse over your head, but you do and you have taken on that burden so nobly. We are so proud of you darling," Lily said as James and Charles nodded.

The tips of Harry's ears burned red, a sure sign that he was embarrassed. Sirius grinned as he knew Lily had just handed him great pranking material.

[I do need to get back and find out what my people have gotten from those people,] Tanaka said a moment later. [I'll send a complete transcript by the box later.]

Sirius saw him out as Harry sighed. [If all of you don't mind, I kinda like to get to bed. It's been a day and I'm exhausted.]

Shizune followed Harry upstairs and tucked him into bed like she had done countless times before when Harry had lived at home back in the Hidden Village of Izumi-Zan when he was a little boy. She sat there for a time to make sure Harry had gone to sleep and then slipped out of the room. She went down to find Kotake talking with Sirius and Hiroshi. They turned to look at her. She moved into Kotake's arms.

[Must he do this, husband? Must he fight such a monster and others like him? Can't he just be a boy a little longer?] she asked him.

Kotake sighed. [I have been asking myself the same thing, Shizune. He must because he has sworn to and because that foul creature has marked him. All of us, as his family, must support and help him in any way we can. It has to be done. I just pray the war gods grant him the strength to survive this.]

Sirius mentally crossed his fingers.

Harry walked into the kitchen the next morning after his post workout shower to find a strange kid sitting at the table. He moved his left hand behind him and the Potter wand appeared in it. The kid looked like he had seen better days. His brown hair looked unkempt, his clothes were dirty, and he smelled. He looked to be about twelve and sported several earrings in his right ear.

"Hello, who might you be?" Harry asked calmly.

The boy looked him over. "I'm Nicky. The old man Remus brought me here real late last night."

Harry nodded as he evaluated Nicky and decided he wasn't a threat. He let go of the Potter wand and it went back to where ever it stayed until Harry needed it. Something Harry just couldn't explain. The 'shadow' as he called it just appeared one day and it kept all manner of things inside of it until Harry needed it, from a first aid kit to explosives. Tetsusaiga stayed in the claws of the dragon on his back until he needed it. That he couldn't explain either. Even Hermione did research on that and ended up chalking it up to 'a weird bit of magic' and left it at that.

"Are you one of them magicals?" Nicky asked as he bit into a bit of toast.

Harry nodded. "I am, and if you don't mind me making a suggestion, why don't you hit the shower while I dig up something much cleaner for you to wear? I think I have something you can wear."

Nicky brightened up. "That would be seriously cool, mate."

Harry led him up the stairs to the bathroom and used the Potter wand on the sly to get his sizes. He went to the hall cabinet and got a towel and a flannel for the bath and laid them on the counter as Nicky was in the shower. He banished the smelly things Nicky had been wearing and went into his room to get him better and cleaner things. He resized them and left them on top of the sink and retreated. He found Remus in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Harry," the older man greeted him.

Harry nodded on his way to the coffee pot. "Before you ask, Nicky is in the shower upstairs. I resized a pair of jean shorts and a t shirt for him and banished the smelly things he called clothes. Now, since he is here, I assume he has a story that needs to be told?"

Remus nodded as Sirius joined them with coffee. "He does, and it's thanks to that damned beast Greyback that he's here. Seems Greyback caught him out in the woods on a school outing and bit him."

Harry growled. "Why is it always the kids that have to suffer because of these bastards?"

"We constantly ask ourselves that question every day, Harry. We get no answer," Sirius said.

Remus scratched his face and sighed. "Nicky managed to clean himself up and didn't tell anyone for fear he'd be labeled a freak and sent to some secure place. Then came the night of a full moon, and he transformed in front of his very terrified family. His father shot him twice with a shotgun and Nicky got out of the house. Some super secret government unit tracked him once his father called the police to report the incident and they took him into custody at daybreak after he changed back. They locked him up in some super secret lab and were about to dissect him to find out how and why he turns werewolf. Fortunately for him, an animal rights group convinced that the government was doing experiments on animals broke into the lab and freed Nicky. One of the rescuers was a werewolf. He hid Nicky and then called me to see what I could do about the situation. I brought him here because Nicky has skills we so desperately need."

"He knows computers," Harry guessed as Nicky walked back into the kitchen.

Harry turned to him. "Feeling better?"

"Yup," he said with a Welsh accent. I know bleedin' computers real well, inside and out. I know what makes them tick, and I can make them tock, too."

Sirius barked in laughter at the pun as Remus smiled.

"I'm a world class hacker, too. Can get in and out without people knowing I been there. Before I left the lab, I spent a few very useful minutes with one of them super computers. I need to get me mitts on one so I can get back in there and get a few things I stashed. I need compensatin' for what them big brains tried to do ta me," Nicky said.

Harry had an idea what that compensation was. "Well, I do have a stack of laptops in another room that need looking at. You interested?"

Nicky giggled insanely as he stuck his tongue out a tiny bit between his teeth and nodded at Harry.

Harry grinned back. "Breakfast first, and then I show you. Can't be working on an empty tummy."

Sirius and Remus both grinned as Harry headed to the stove.

"You'll love Harry's cooking. He's kind of nasty when he cooks," Remus said.

"Yup. Beats the eggs senseless," Sirius cracked.

Both men laughed out loud as Harry groaned. "Ignore them, Nicky. They haven't had their pint of coffee yet."

"Neither have I," Nicky stated, making Sirius and Remus laugh louder.

Nicky began acting up, rapping on the table with a pair of knives pretending to play the drums and making noises. Sirius and Remus brightened up and grabbed their utensils and joined in. Harry closed his eyes, sighed, and dropped his head down. Sirius was bad enough, having Remus join him was even worse, and now knowing Nicky was the same way just was going overboard.

[The gods give me strength to deal with these children,] Harry muttered as he turned back to the stove, getting the feeling it was going to be a long day.

Nicky, Remus, and Sirius calmed down long enough to enjoy the breakfast Harry made. Remus, Sirius, and Harry then demonstrated their magical skill in cleaning things up in the kitchen and Nicky had been impressed. They took him down to the basement rooms and showed him the spell arena, the potions room, and most importantly, their 'werewolf rooms' as Nicky called them.

"So I would be safe in here when I turn that one night a month," Nicky said as he stood inside the room, looking round it.

"Yes," Remus said simply.

"Good. Cause I don't wanna harm anyone like that bleedin crazy did to me. Here I am, amblin' along, just minding me own business when he comes jumping outta the trees landing on top of me. Starts chewing on me neck, and I start stabbin' him with me knife lotsa of times until he stops, grins at me, and runs off. I hadda use me t shirt to clean me up in the river nearby and zipped up me jacket hopin' nobody notices until I gets home. By then the wound is gone, no traces of it. I start thinkin' I'm gonna be okay until I changed one night. Damned crazy kind of pain just drives me nuts. Next thing I know I wake up nekkid in some kind of hospital with them big brains talkin' like I wasn't there 'the child needs to be looked at' they says, not even using me name. I yells at them and they gagged me to shut me up. A group of them orderlies then strap me up and cart me off to some kind of room with big lights overhead and they manage to strap me down onna metal table in me birthday suit. Just before they jabbed me with a needle, the place goes nuts. Loud sirens, red lights twirling, and a very loud voice yelling 'intruder alert' over and over again. Them big brains go running out of there leaving me alone until a group of people come running in. They freed me and got me out of there. One of them introduced me to the leader of a werewolf clan and I had been traveling with them for a time until I meet the old man Remus here. So here I am," Nicky said.

Harry shook his head. "Well, this is your home now. Nobody's going to get in here to cause you any kind of pain. There are definite benefits to being here. Twenty four hour live entertainment from the Marauder Twins. You get your own bedroom, and you can set it up any way you want. You will have friends, and not just the three of us. You'll meet them as they pop in from time to time. All the toys you want to play with. A computer lab that's your own territory to set up any way that makes you comfortable. A gym room to work out in. A swimming pool to swim in year round. An education second to none."

"Can't go to school no more mate," Nicky stated.

Sirius nodded. "Remus and I can teach you what you need to know."

"We can get you anything you need," Harry said.

Nicky smiled. "Cool. I got me a list made out but we can do that later. How about showin' me them toys you say you got?"

"Good thing you got England cable to kit out the house Sirius," Harry said as they headed upstairs to the ground floor.

"I do like watching the footy games every now and then," Sirius said.

Nicky grinned. "England National, mate. Does the set up include wireless?"

"It does, and there's a box in the computer room." Sirius said.

Harry watched Nicky inspect everything before he turned to them with a grin. "We so in business, mate. Gonna enjoy this job."

Nicky picked up the first laptop that Harry had gotten and booted it up. He went to work with it and before long he has something up on the screen.

"We definitely need a large screen on the wall," Sirius said.

"Sixty inch, high def, surround sound," Nicky offered up.

Sirius grinned. "Done."

"Printer to handle large printing jobs. Bookcases. Bookcase stereo with a tuner and CD player. Music CD's for the stereo, give ya a list of what I want. Office chairs. Recliner in the corner. Leather couch against one wall. A Dell desktop for my own use, give ya the specs later. Last but not least, a carton of Players, regular 100's and a Zippo lighter," Nicky requested.

"You smoke?" Sirius asked.

Nicky nodded. "Yup. My old man always had as far back as I can remember. I started up a month before all of this insanity came along and fucked up me nice neat orderly life."

"Us werewolves do have some kind of self healing factor that allows us to recover from any kind of damage," Remus said. "Nicky's healing talent should protect him from smoking, drinking, and what passes as Sirius's attempts at cooking."

Harry laughed out loud at that.

"Ah come on. My cooking isn't that bad," Sirius grumbled.

"Says the chicken you burned horribly in the oven last week," Harry said.

Nicky laughed out loud. "Bein' with you lot is gonna be a lot of fun."

Harry was glad that Nicky was starting to feel safe here. "Okay, let's get busy on what Nicky needs in here. We can split up the list. I could make the run on several music stores and pick up a mess of CD's and the bookcase stereo. Sirius and Remus can handle the rest. Yes ,daddy, I'll be careful out there."

Sirius just shook his finger under Harry's nose in mock anger as Harry walked out laughing. Nicky turned back to the laptop he had been working on and pushed that aside and wrote out the specs on the Dell desktop he wanted and handed it off to Sirius. Sirius left the house and took the nondescript van with him as he had planned on getting the furniture for the room. Remus elected to stay at the house and watch over everything and it would give him a chance to spend a little time with Nicky.

Harry apparated into the nearest town in the shadow of an alleyway. He casually leaned against the wall at the entrance to the alley and observed things for a bit before going walkabout. If anyone looked his way, all they would see was an ordinary teenager in jeans, a footy t shirt, sunglasses, and brown hair cut short. Harry headed for the nearest store and began browsing the CD's and began selecting a few to buy. He got a third of the list including a few that he liked. Walking out the store, he found cover two blocks away and tucked the bag of CD's into his magical backpack. He went to a few more places and eventually got everything on Nicky's list, including a few CD's that he had been looking for. Just as he left the last store to head home, he discovered another DE of interest standing to the corner not too far from him. Harry decided to tail the DE. The lady started off with the light, crossing the street. Harry crossed the street behind her and then managed to tag her with a tracking spell. He was able to fall back using a drinks machine as cover. He stood in front of it and spent a few minutes looking at the buttons trying to decide what to get. He finally made his selection, a cold bottle of Gatorade and opened it for a drink and then set off after her. Harry stopped at the news stand half way down the street and pursued the magazines that were on display as she had gone into the three story building across the street. Harry counted off three minutes and then crossed the street after her. Once inside the building, Harry realized it was an office building. Okay, he'd play whatever act he needed to in which ever office the target went into. Harry followed the trail up to the second floor and stopped, allowing Getsumi no Michi to kick in. Now he knew just which office she had gone into. A lawyer's office by the description on the doorplate. Harry retreated knowing that the place was probably wired to record anyone who walked in, and the receptionist would be a hard sell to get past. He decided to hand the break in and search job to another ninja who was much better than him at that. Harry knew he could do simple break in and search jobs, but a professional office was a bit more complicated. He noted the address of the building and who the occupants of that particular office was and then left. He kept going up the street for several more blocks and when he was sure nobody was tailing him, he ducked into the nearest alley and checked himself for anything. He was clean so he apparated back to the Doghouse. He found Nicky and Remus at the kitchen table, drinking cold ice teas and playing gin rummy. By the looks of it Remus was losing badly.

"Harry, watch this kid if you play cards with him. Kid's a card shark," Remus said as he looked up. "How did the shopping expedition go?"

"Got everything on my list, and caught an unexpected bonus. There was a DE on the street in front of me so I tailed her to a lawyer's office in the downtown area. I need to pass on the address and the names to my Dad so he can assign somebody the breaking and entering to investigate," Harry said as he wrote a quick letter.

"A female DE?" Remus asked. "That's unusual."

Harry nodded. "I know. Voldemort is so hard to figure out. He's sexist, but he'll use anyone he can to get the job done. Look at what he's done to Bella. He kicks her around like a bit of trash but isn't afraid to give her jobs because he knows she'll do it and gets it done by any means necessary. Not only that, she effective at asking questions and using whatever technique to get her answers."

Nicky shivered at that. "Sounds like one seriously screwed up bird."

"Who's screwed up?" Sirius asked as he walked into the kitchen.

Harry went into the living room and deposited the letter in the messenger box as Remus repeated what Harry had said. Sirius frowned as he looked at Harry's notes.

"I think I've seen that name before someplace," he mused. "I need to wash that name through MLE files and see what I get. I got what Nicky wanted for his room. All in one place, too. It's a second hand place and everything I got is in great shape. Just a couple of scratches here and there. I need Harry and Remus for the unload job."

Sirius had come through. He found a large corner desk set up for the computer room that Nicky pronounced perfect. The Dell desktop was brand new, Sirius couldn't believe that somebody had left it there unboxed.

"You never know what you'll find in places like that mate," Nicky grinned as he set the monitor on the desk. "You got one hell of a deal, too."

It didn't take long for everyone to get the stuff assembled. Sirius took care of the desk, Harry the three bookcases, and Remus floated in the recliner and sofa.

"Magic is so cool mate," Nicky grinned.

Remus nodded. "That it is. Your room upstairs has what you need already, a bed, dresser, and a smaller recliner in the corner. I'll walk you round to collect what it is you want to make it truly yours."

Sirius was setting up something in the window. "It's one of those window fans designed to pull air out of a room. Give it an hour and you can light up. I got you your requested smokes, lighter, juice for the lighter, and a glass ashtray. Cleaning it is your responsibility."

"Understood, boss man," Nicky said as he was going through the CD's as Harry was assembling the bookcase stereo. "Hey Harry, you got some really cool stuff here as well as all of my favorites."

Remus and Sirius both looked up at Harry.

"Did you remember some of our favorites?" Sirius asked.

Harry grinned. "Sure. Including all of Led Zeppelin as well."

"Oh right on," Nicky said as he unboxed the Dell. "I like those guys. Wished I could have seen one of their shows."

Sirius and Remus turned their attention to the big screen TV they got. All four of them worked together and got it mounted on the wall. Sirius used a very strong sticky spell for added strength. Nicky then wired up the big screen for cable, the computer, and the Xbox that Sirius had gotten. Nicky sat down in the big overstuffed office chair and booted up the Dell and went to work customizing it. Harry, Remus, and Sirius left the computer room to let Nicky work.

"So what now?" Harry asked as he sat down in the kitchen.

Sirius rubbed his face as he thought hard. "Well, we haven't heard from everybody just yet, so let's look at what we do have. I do find it very interesting that you saw Malfoy senior in the back of a limo. Two things come to mind. It really belongs to him and that makes me conclude that he's got business dealings in the muggle world, or somebody else owns it and he was in the middle of making a deal with that person. I kind of find it very hard to believe that he owns it, knowing just how he feels about the muggle world. Narcissa, my sister, shares a lot of his opinions. Not all, mind you, but most of them. Both of them no doubt, have made it a point to constantly bombard Draco with their ideals on a daily basis, which amounts to brainwashing."

"That would explain why he sounds like a parrot all the time," Harry said as he leaned into the refrigerator for a bottle of ice cold iced tea. "Cold drink guys?"

Harry sat down at the table after delivering two very cold cans of Guinness to them.

"I'm not surprised by that," Sirius said. "I've had some ideas as to where freaky boy is hiding out. He's either at the Riddle House, or he's taken over the Malfoy mansion."

Sirius sighed. "Be nice to know."

Voldemort's Lair, Malfoy Mansion

Voldemort reclined in the bed he was using in one of the guest bedrooms in the Malfoy mansion and waited for Snape to tend to him. The Hogwarts potions master arrived with a goblet in his hands.

"Severus, my old friend, what do you have for me now?" Voldemort asked.

Snape bowed. "A restoring potion, my Lord. It is one of several potions you need to restore you completely. The ritual that Wormtail conducted was good enough to return you to a body. Now I am working on potions that shall restore you to greatness."

Voldemort nodded. "Thank you, Severus. You always had anticipated my needs and served me well in the past. Now you have risen to the task of helping me. Most commendable. Now come, let me have that which you possess, and sit with me awhile. I desire information as to what has befallen the world these past thirteen years."

Snape sighed as he handed over the goblet. He used the few moments that Voldemort spent in drinking the potion to gather his thoughts together. He knew that Voldemort already knew what he wanted to know. He wanted to hear from Snape from his viewpoint what had been going on. Snape sat there for a few minutes and observed Voldemort to see if his restoring potion had worked. He observed Voldemort looking a bit more alert and he nodded to himself.

"Good. The potion I gave you is indeed working. I think a few more and you should be able to get around easier," Snape said after a few moments.

"Thank you Severus. Your efforts are most appreciated," Voldemort said. "Now speak."

Snape nodded and then began his narrative, giving Voldemort the facts, careful not to include his opinion, as it had not been asked for. He included his observations of Potter and what he knew of him and how he acted in the castle. Voldemort listened, and then when Snape had finished, began asking questions about certain events that interested him.

"So you say that the Potter boy did not turn out like Dumbledore wanted?" Voldemort asked.

Snape nodded. "Yes, my lord. The Potter boy had much confidence about himself. It was obvious that he had some training in his magical skills prior to Hogwarts. He did come from Japan, and I was unable to find any information as to where he lived in Japan prior to Hogwarts. I do know the family who adopted him works for the Japanese Government as minor diplomats. Very little is known about them and I am making efforts to find information on them. The brat wears a dragon tattoo. I have seen it. It greatly upset the old man and he is convinced that the Potter boy is turning dark."

"They had words in the great hall when his name was drawn out of the goblet of fire?" Voldemort asked.

"They did. It convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubt that the old man had some kind of agenda regarding the Potter boy and that did not sit well with the boy. He went as far to sue the old man in the Wizengamot, the ICW, and the school board. He won his suit in all three places. It was revealed to all that the old man had his fingers in places that he should not have them in," Snape said.

Voldemort rose to a sitting position, his black eyes glittering. "He was stealing from the Families? Could it be, that the old man is not so honorable as he would have the Wizarding world believe?"

Snape nodded. "It would appear so. He even interfered with the Potter Wills, sealing them up so nobody could get at them. But he did not count on the cunning of the goblins, as they made duplicates and locked them away in their own vaults. The Potter boy first learned of the old man's manipulations when he met with the goblins at his first appearance in Gringotts. He claimed the Potter Family Ring, the titles, the seats, and everything that was Potter Clan related. Rumor has it that he struck a deal with the idiot Fudge 'grant me emancipation and I'll never seek the minister's office' and got it. It's been whispered to me that Umbridge and Fudge are plotting to discredit Potter and that they already have bought off Amos Diggory if Cedric keeps quiet. Oh yes, the Diggory boy survived the night in the graveyard and has been keeping a very low profile and has said nothing at his father's urging claiming his son sustained a head injury that caused him to hallucinate. Both of them are leaving England."

"And what of Potter?" Voldemort asked.

Snape sighed. "I have people looking for him. He is not at his relatives. They left for other parts of England after the one month that Potter spent with them. They are the worst sort of muggles and refused to talk about Potter. Slammed the door in Sally's face after she made contact with them posing as English child welfare. I can only speculate as to where he goes during the summer holidays."

"Even though Dumbledore has been reduced to that of a teacher, he is still a danger to me. He must be removed from my path if I am to succeed in my quest to conquer the Wizarding world. But the time is not quite right. I must be stronger than I am now, Severus. His time is coming, Severus. When we do strike him down, the ministry will crumble as well and then our agents can step in and assume control. We must take our time and slowly work our people into key positions. I have one pawn already in place. She will strike when the time is not right. She shall be instrumental in moving our people into the right places. There is one thing yet to be done and I am contemplating the right people to carry it out for me. For now I must concentrate on my recovery and I look to you for help in that goal. Do not fail me Severus," Voldemort warned. "You have never failed me yet. I trust you to do what is needed to help me recover."

"Thank you for your trust in me, my lord. I will work hard in my efforts to assist you. One more thing. Potter encountered the Dementors a fortnight ago while going to the mudblood Granger's house. He is in dire straits with the Ministry due to the fact that he performed the Patronus spell in full view of a muggle, the Granger muggle. I shall keep you informed of those developments," Snape said.

"Good. Perhaps we can turn this to our advantage, Severus. Watch from a distance and keep me informed. Now I must rest," Voldemort said by way of dismissal.

Snape stood and bowed. "By your command, my master."

He spun round and his cloak billowed outward and then again as Snape walked briskly to the door. He had much work to do.

The Doghouse, location unknown

Harry sat at the head of the table as everyone took their places. Harry nodded as he looked at the serious faces of his friends sitting at the table. Everyone had the grand tour round the place and Harry had introduced Nicky to all of them.

"So now all of you have seen the house and the grounds and have met Nicky who is going to be our high tech guru. What say all of you?" Harry said.

"I say Nicky is in," Hermione spoke up. "With his computer set up, researching things will be a lot easier not to mention tracking the various DE's and what they are doing as well."

There was agreement from around the table. Nicky was sitting at the table next to the Weasley Twins.

He stood up. "I gotta thank you all for includin' me in this thing. I gotta score to settle with the bleedin' crazy who… who screwed me good when he tried to lunch on me. Harry tells me he's thrown in with this bloody wanker who's tryin' to take over your world. I say we tell them to sod off in any way we can and make it hurt."

Harry leaned forward. "Oh, we will tell them that, Nicky, and a lot more. Hurt them? We will, for hurting innocent families."

More agreements from everybody.

"Right now I have a serious problem that needs immediate attention. As all of you know by now, I took on a pair of Dementors when they attacked me and Dan Granger a few nights ago. Because of them I now have to go on trial to defend myself on charges of breaking the Secrecy Laws. Those who have sworn allegiance to the Idiot-Who-Must-Be-Named will no doubt vote against me. Those who stand with Dumbledore will vote in my favor at Dumbledore's urging. Those who have declared themselves neutral in the coming conflict might go either way. I have no idea how Gring is going to defend me as he has not said anything to me yet. Hermione has provided him with a number of cases where kids my age or younger have defended themselves and others using magic in full view of the muggles for him to study and at last communication he is planning to work them into some kind of defense. So please keep your fingers crossed for luck," Harry said.

"What if they rule against you and snap your school wand?" George wanted to know.

Harry grinned. "Hey, fine by me. I still have the Potter wand and it would give me the opportunity to work full time against the DE's to try and make their lot in life miserable."

"Ronnie is going to be on the train this September," Ginny informed the group.

"Percy got demoted for his 'failure' in the tournament business," Fred spoke up.

Neville set down his glass. "Bet he didn't like that."

"Been ranting and raving about 'that Potter brat ruining everything for me' almost nonstop," George stated. "Dad finally put his foot down and shut him up."

"Down his throat or up his arse?" Neville asked.

The twins grinned. "A bit of both."

"Ouch," Nicky spoke up. "That can adjust an attitude."

That got a laugh. Just then the letterbox at Harry's right elbow chimed. Harry reached into it and opened the letter and read it.

"Sirius, I need you to go to the Japanese Embassy and escort my family and Daito Souta here. The code word is 'rice balls covered in molasses', and yes, it does exist, and it's a great treat. Mom's invention. Time to find out what he has to say and offer," Harry said.

"On my way pup," Sirius nodded and left through the arrival room just off the front door.

Harry turned to the group. "Let's take a break. Fred, George, can I see the both of you in the gym?"

The twins followed Harry into the gym room and Harry closed the door. He turned to the table in the room and opened the box to reveal the thousand galleons he'd won in the tournament.

"This is for you guys. I want to invest in your joke shop business," Harry said, handing them the box with the money inside of it.

"Are you sure about this, Harry? You did win the money," Fred said as George fingered the coins obviously counting them.

"Very sure. You guys have a good thing going, and I know that you two want nothing to do with the Ministry, having seen the effect it had on Percy. I say take the money. Build new and improved gags and jokes. Build devices that we can use out in the field against the DE's in the event we come up against any. Just make sure that you keep all of this on the low down as I will not be paying medical bills due to the acts of angry mother. Once you two are seventeen, you can do anything you want and get away with it, and angry mother can't stop you," Harry grinned.

Both of the twins looked at each other and Harry was certain they were doing the twin thing. Then they turned back to Harry.

"We'll take this on the condition that you become a full partner in WWW, Weasley's Wizardly Wheezes," Fred stated.

"Are you sure about that?" Harry asked. "You guys could become targets if it became public knowledge that I'm the third wheel in your company. You might get visitors of the wrong kind."

Somebody knocked on the door. "Harry? You're needed out here."

"We're not worried. Just means we get to test pranks and gags on them," George grinned.

Harry sighed. "I almost feel sorry for them."

All three laughed as they came out of the gym. The twins stashed the box in their backpack before turning to see who the new arrivals were. Harry hugged Shizune, greeted Kotake, Hiroshi, and Ichiro, and then turned to Daito Souta.

[I am honored to have you as a guest in my house. Thank you for coming,] Harry bowed.

Daito returned the bow. [I am honored to be a guest in your house. Thank you for inviting me.]

Harry turned to the group and made introductions. More chairs had been added to the table and everyone took seats except for Daito Souta. He looked around at the group and people settled down underneath his powerful gaze.

"The reason I am here is twofold. There are a group of magical people in an organization that I am aware of who wish to offer their assistance in this matter. They believe that an attack on one person is an attack on all magical people. If this upstart is successful in the Wizarding world, what is to stop him from reaching the muggle world and enslaving them? He needs to be stopped. They wish to help. The second reason in on behalf of the Japanese Magical Ministry. They wish to loan their magical detector in an effort to stop the DE's from destroying all of magical England," Daito announced. I have been told that this magical detector had recorded many magical signatures. It will not take up much space."

"What do you want in return?" Harry asked.

"To help you cancel their ticket. Such dishonorable people should not be allowed to live," he growled. "They must be held accountable for their actions against people."

Harry agreed. "Can anyone be taught to monitor it?"

"Of course," Daito replied instantly. "Do you have people in mind?"

Harry nodded. "I do, and they are present."

Nicky immediately stood up along with Remus and Sirius. Daito nodded.

"This one is half the size of the one the English Magical ministry uses. It has been here in England for the last twenty years, quietly recording the magical signatures of all magical people living here. It can identify the DE's once they have used the unforgivable against innocent people and at present count there are about a thousand of them active and who knows how many more hidden, and you can bet they will not show themselves until the time is right," Daito informed them.

"Would an attack on something major bring out the hidden ones?" Harry asked.

Daito's eyes narrowed. "Such as?"

"The Ministry. Diagon alley. Hogsmeade Village. Hogwarts. Other smaller magical villages," Harry replied.

"A sound tactic to attack all those places at once," Daito said. "That is where the people I represent would come in. They would help protect those places and help those caught in the attacks escape. The attackers, of course, would not be allowed to live."

There was a heavy silence in the room as everyone thought about what had been said.

"I motion we accept their help for when the time comes," Neville spoke up.

George nodded. "I second the motion."

Harry knew there was no going back now. The time had come for war, and the DE's following Voldemort had fired the first shot at the Quidditch match with their public outing. "All those in favor, say aye. Those opposed say no."

Everybody around the table called out aye, making the vote to accept help unanimous. Harry turned to Daito and reached out to offer up his hand.

"It is done. We accept your offer of help. There is no turning back now. We openly declare war on Voldemort and his DE's."

With that, the war for the Wizarding World had started.

Next Chapter: The first battle, Harry's trial


	4. Battles and the trial of Harry Potter

Ninja Wizard V: Order of the Phoenix 04

By David4

Disclaimer: All of Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling with the exception of 'Nicky' and 'Daito Souta'. This story is a complete fiction.

Author Notes: These marks [ ] indicate Japanese spoken. Thanks to all who have taken the time to read and to all of those who are following the series.

Ninja Wizard V: Order of the Phoenix 04

"Battle and the Trial of Harry Potter"

Harry flew over the countryside in is Falcon form listening to ZZ Top in his earpiece. Nicky's retrieving his 'assets' from the spooks had been used to purchase communications equipment and other things that had been properly hardened against magic thanks to Sirius and Remus' efforts. He was currently riding the air currents about a quarter mile up, his sharp Falcon eyesight keeping track of his current target. Nicky's efforts had turned up some serious intel on a potential attack against a tiny magical village consisting of at least six families. Harry was using his Falcon form to do some recon to get an idea of how the place was laid out and how best to defend it. The village didn't appear on any kind of map anywhere despite Nicky's best efforts to find it. Sirius was the one who found it when he 'popped' into the office to supposedly do some paperwork. He provided Nicky with the coordinates and he located the spot through Google Earth (it's a great program if you want to locate anything on Earth) and Harry had gone out there with Sirius in the van. Sirius applied a new spell on Harry's Falcon vision that enabled everybody back at the Doghouse to see what Harry the Falcon saw while flying.

"Hey mate, that's a bloody useful spell," Nicky's voice came through the earpiece. "You got to be about a half mile up?"

Since Harry couldn't use human speech in his bird form he simply nodded his head for yes.

"Looks like you're literally on top of them," Nicky said. "I'm recording everything so you can look at things later."

Harry nodded again as he glided down to a branch deep inside a tree so he could get a closer look at things. He moved his head slowly to the left and then to the right. He took off again and landed in another tree and did the same thing once more. Harry did that a few times and then Remus came through the earpiece.

"Okay Harry, I think we got enough. Come on back," he said.

Harry stretched out his wings and took off, gliding down close to the main road and caught an updraft. It took him back up to the half mile mark and he made use of the air currents getting back to Sirius. He flew through the side door of the van and landed on the pile of blankets as Sirius closed the side door. He took his place up at the driver's wheel and drove off as Harry transformed back into himself.

"Gonna take a nap," he announced. "This did take a bit out of me."

Harry closed his eyes and was gone before anyone could respond. Sirius turned his attention back to the road in front of him.

"He did good, Sirius. He's earned his rest," Remus said. "See you guys later."

Sirius nodded. "I'm just wondering why the hell way out here. Why not Hogsmeade? Why not the alley? Is this to be a training run for the DE's?"

"I've been asking myself that question too," Hermione's voice spoke up. "According to my research on the DE's in the first war, they went after the big stuff."

"Not to mention the important families," Remus said.

"I'm thinking training run," George spoke up. "He's got some new people and needs to break them in and see who's got guts for this kind of thing."

"I have to agree with you George," Sirius said as he got on the highway. "So we come back later tonight and stake the place out and see who shows up to lead them. We grab the leader and take out the rest of the trash."

"I like that idea," Remus stated. "We do need to look at what we have thanks to Harry's efforts and come up with a plan."

"The one plan I've got is to storm Malfoy Mansion and burn the place down with Malfoy and the bloody wanker inside of it," Sirius growled.

"All in good time, my brother. All in good time," Remus said.

Nicky giggled at that moment. "I could break into the defense ministry and call up an airstrike on them."

"That's too easy, Nicky. I wanna blow them to hell myself," Sirius stated.

"Well, I could get them to send us a case of explosives or a couple of shoulder fired rocket launchers. Pretty please?" Nicky pleaded.

Sirius sighed. "I'll consider it. In the meantime we need to alert people and see if we can get some people for tonight. We'll be home within the hour."

"We're on it," Remus said. "Doghouse out."

Sirius pulled the earpiece from his right ear and dropped it into his shirt pocket and leaned back in the driver's seat. He glanced in the rear view mirror to check on Harry before stepping on the gas.

1900 hours, and everyone that was to be there was there. The plans had been laid and now it was just a waiting game.

"North side clear," Sirius said.

"South clear," Harry said.

George spoke up. "Road clear."

A snapping sound alerted Harry. "Just me, folks. Too early for them to show up at this gig. Me, I'd come a callin' round eleven or so when folks are just to bed," Nicky said.

"That's why we're here now," Remus said.

"Gives us time to lay out our tricks," Fred stated. "These black suits work great, Harry."

Harry sighed. [The Weasley Twins ninja. There goes the noble and ancient art of ninjitsu.]

[Not so, Harry-san. There are many in the history of ninjitsu that have done it proud having not been trained in the noble art,] a ninja spoke up.

Another one spoke up. [Yes, and I can name a few in my line.]

[I bet you can,] the first ninja came back.

Harry sighed. [The gods give me strength.]

A third ninja spoke up. [Let's keep it down out there.]

Harry closed his eyes and huddled up to the large rocks he was hiding in and slipped into meditation. For the next four hours he meandered through his mental landscape, relaxing on the grounds of the castle he had built in his mind until his keeper of the grounds approached him.

[The enemy approaches my lord,] he announced.

Harry snapped to just as Nicky made the announcement. "Vehicle coming in at seven, approaching from the east, looks like a van."

"DE's in a van?" Remus queried. "That doesn't make any sense."

Sirius popped up next to Harry and used his night vision to scan the horizon. "No it doesn't, unless they're trying to throw people off the track."

Harry considered that for a moment. "I'd do that if I was going to attack. This is quite a distance for them to come for an attack."

"I got a bad feeling about this boss," Nicky said. "I'm zooming in on them and it looks like a wreck to me. Either them, or it's a set up."

Harry wasn't sure how Nicky got that information and decided to ask later. "Okay. Everybody ready. If DE's, we take them down. If something else, we disappear."

Everybody agreed and then went silent. Harry listened hard for the van and then a moment later he could. It slowed down and then stopped.

"Target vehicle stopped," Nicky reported. "No action."

A soft pop was heard, and then a few more.

"Several targets," Remus whispered.

Harry nodded. "Everybody go."

Harry moved as he gave the go command and caught three DE's in the middle of casting something. They went down without a whimper.

"Got four in the sticky stuff," Fred reported.

Seven down in two minutes. Harry heard sounds off to his right and turned to see a ninja engaging three targets. The three targets went down fast. Ten DE's down.

"Took down the van," Sirius whispered into Harry's ear. "Three of them in there."

Thirteen DE's. One ran past Harry with his robe on fire with Remus giving chase. Another one ran straight into Harry and Harry grabbed onto him and suplexed him face first into the rocky ground.

"Never knew watching those wrestling shows would come in handy," Harry said.

He turned to his right as another DE came out of the darkness. Both yanked their wands at the same time and fired. Harry was just a bit faster on the draw and his target went down. Harry cast incarcerous on them and tied them up. He floated them to a prearranged spot where the other captured DE's were. He left them there and went off to look for others. He did find three of them inside a house with the terrified family in front of them.

"Mind if I join the party?" Harry asked them as the three DE's turned around.

One charged forward and the fight was on. Harry kicked out straight and his right foot caught the charging DE in the stomach. One went down as two and three began to react. As those two turned to confront Harry the father grabbed his little son while mother grabbed her daughter and the two of them scrambled out of the way as Harry charged forward, initiating palm strikes to the center of their chests, driving them back and causing them to gasp for air. One got back up and attempted to grab Harry from the back. Harry back flipped over the first one and then charged forward, shoving him into the other two and making all three crash down onto the couch. Harry bounced backwards and then introduced his right foot to their faces, knocking them off the couch and onto the floor. Then he practiced his goalie's kick on the first one, driving him into the other two and knocking him out. The third one on the floor, covered by the second one, drew his wand, shoved the second one out of the way, and attacked, only to find that Harry had disappeared. Harry had anticipated the move and jumped up into the air and was now coming down on top of number three, his left foot making contact with the right wrist and breaking it while his right foot landed on the left shoulder, breaking it completely. The third one used the moment to go for his only to have it yanked out of his hand, losing it to Remus as he entered the house to see Harry in potential trouble. Harry spun and introduced the toe of his right foot to the bottom of the third man's chin, driving him backwards and into the wall where he got knocked out.

"Nice moves Mr. Falcon," Remus grinned.

Harry sighed. "Why thank you Mr. Mooney."

Harry grabbed two of them by the feet and dragged them out while Remus grabbed the first one. They laid them out on the ground by the other captured ones.

"Sirius has the leader in the van," George reported as he approached the group.

Harry nodded. "Good. We can strip these clowns and check them for intel and then move out."

Both of the Weasley twins grinned. Harry wondered just what they were up to now. He turned and headed for the van. The battle was over. The cleanup was all that was left. The twins showed up at the van a few minutes later with a small cloth bag. They handed them over and then nodded at the leader who was firmly tied up and silenced. Remus nodded to Harry. Harry nodded back. He knew what had to be done now and truth be told he wasn't quite comfortable with it, but it had to be done. Questions needed to be asked, and information retrieved. He turned away and walked away from the van as Sirius and one of the ninjas climbed into the van. Remus took control of the hidden van and drove them all back to the Doghouse. They needed to deposit memories into the pensive for full review in the morning. Harry was hoping to find more information from the battle they just had. From there they would be able to work their way up the food chain and get to the Idiot-That-Must-Be-Named. Harry dozed off in the van on the way home.

Harry sighed as he viewed the photo on the front page of the Daily Prophet the next morning. It showed the group of naked DE's sitting on the ground, their faces painted to look like clowns.

"You guys really had to do that," Harry looked over the paper and the grinning Weasley Twins. "Molly's gonna see this and she's gonna know where you were last night."

"We got our backs covered," Fred grinned. "No worries."

George popped up in the kitchen. "Best we move on to Longbottom's place just in case Mummy calls there looking for us."

"Right you are," Fred grinned. "See ya."

Both of them popped out and Harry sighed. Remus was the next to arrive in the kitchen. He drew a cup of coffee and joined Harry at the table.

"Got word from my order contact that old man Dumbles was breathing fire last night when he popped out there and saw the scene. By then it was far too late to stop the photographer from taking pictures or the residents from telling Skeeter their stories. That's a really nice picture by the way," Remus grinned. "Wish I had thought of that."

Sirius stumbled into the kitchen on his way to the coffee pot. He barked in laughter when he saw the front page picture. "Bet Voldy loved that one."

Harry had to smile at the thought. "I'm sure he did. Be fun to find out. Get anything useful from our friend last night?"

Sirius nodded. "It was a training run for the newbies. The Great Idiot is recruiting, and doing a great job of it thanks to the jerk off Fudge. He also says the Great Idiot is now after something buried deep inside the Ministry. What it is he doesn't know."

"Let's keep looking for information on that," Harry said. "If we can use that as a way to expose the Great Idiot to the public so much the better. Otherwise we keep looking for a way to get him to show his ugly face to the public."

"Send him a box of Weasley prank material?" Sirius grinned.

Harry shook his head. "Too tame."

"A mock up of the Daily Prophet showing him in handcuffs on his way to Azkaban?" Remus suggested as he got more coffee.

"Interesting idea," Harry said. "Not just yet though."

Sirius sat down at the table as Nicky showed up. "I'm sure we can think of something good."

Nicky grinned and giggled.

Voldemort's Lair, Malfoy Mansion

People scattered as Voldemort blew his top. He threw crucio in every direction as he went in every direction but the right way. Wormtail backed up into a corner scared senseless.

"Who was the idiot responsible for this?" he screamed.

Wormtail wasn't about to respond to that because he knew it was Voldemort who gave the orders to the team leader to go raid the village in order to see what the newbies were capable of doing. He wasn't about to commit suicide by giving Voldemort a target of opportunity for his anger.

"Where is that man?" Voldemort. "I want him in front of me right now!"

One of the DE's, scared out of his mind, stepped out of hiding. "I can go look for him at his house, Master. I know some of his friends, I can ask questions discretely."

Voldemort turned to look at the man. "Please do," he said, his voice now reasonably soft, a slight smile on his face. "Come to me when you know the answers."

The man bowed, still shaking with fear. "Yes master."

He backed up slowly while watching Voldemort to make sure he wasn't gonna get zapped, and then ran off while he had the chance. Voldemort turned to the rest of the DE's.

"Get out."

Those two words motivated people and they got out of there, including Wormtail. Even when he was acting so calmly people never knew just what he might do. He scared them badly, and some of them were reconsidering their decision to join him. Voldemort sighed and turned back to the table and his comfortable chair. He looked up to see the silent form before him.

"Lucius, my old friend, do come forth. I trust you have better news for me," Voldemort said.

The figure bowed and then came out of the shadows. He gestured to a chair and Voldemort nodded.

"It is confirmed, my lord. The thing you seek is locked away deep inside the Department of Mysteries, carefully guarded. My contact tells me it cannot be reached by my hand or any other but only by it concerns. Only Harry Potter, you, the Dumbledork, Trelawney can touch it. Trelawney is a drunken lush carefully guarded in her tower on the grounds of Hogwarts. The Dumbledork is far too smart and wily to allow himself to be caught in a trap. You cannot get in, the place is very well guarded. Harry Potter is the only way in, if he can be carefully manipulated," Lucius stated.

Voldemort nodded. "It is unfortunate that my connection to the boy has been broken. I cannot access his mind to plant the things I wish him to see. There needs to be a way to do this."

"There is always a way, my lord, if one plots, plans, and schemes hard enough," Lucius smiled.

Voldemort smiled, lifting a finger. "So very true, my friend. So very true. I leave this in your very capable hands."

Lucius bowed as he stood. "Thank you my lord."

He walked out past Severus Snape as he entered the room. Both men nodded to each other before continuing on. Severus bowed to Voldemort.

"My lord," he said formally as he presented Voldemort with a goblet of potion. "I believe this last one shall finish what I have started, returning you to your former self."

"Thank you Severus. You have done well," Voldemort took up the goblet and drank from it.

He set it down and closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair as he felt the potion take hold and work within him. Voldemort smiled as he opened his eyes after a moment. "Yes, you have done well."

Severus Snape bowed. "You are welcome, my lord. Very soon the world shall know of your glorious power and bow to you."

Voldemort smiled as he nodded.

Somewhere in England…

Harry dodged incoming spell fire from a very pissed off DE as Harry had popped in unexpectedly in response to the magical detector alerting him to DE activity. As he had been the only one in residence at the Doghouse with Nicky, he had gone out to stop the DE attack and discovered at least five DE's attacking a Wizarding family. Harry bounced off the wall and came back at the DE and hit him with a left while introducing his right foot to the face of another DE. The family had gone for cover in a corner in the kitchen with mother covering them and the father doing his best to assist Harry. Harry noticed the man was doing fairly well with his casting keeping at least three of them at bay while Harry tangled with the two that insisted on trying to take him out. Harry flipped past the two of them and did a reverse spin in mid air, grabbing the back of their heads and slamming them down onto the table. Those two slid off the table, their lights temporary turned off. One of the three came after Harry in an effort to avenge his friends. Harry rolled forward on the table and used both feet to kick him backwards right into the bottom of a frying pan wielded by the little girl. That one went down with a goofy look on his face. The other two decided it was time to leave so they fired a chain of spells around the place forcing people to dive for cover. Those two managed to grab the three who were now napping on the floor and apparated out, leaving Harry with the family and a messy kitchen.

"Thank you sir," the father said after he checked on his family. "I owe you our lives."

Harry nodded. "No thanks necessary, sir. Just doing what I can to stop them. I suggest learning as many defense spells as you can if they do come back and come up with a plan to protect your family. I'm sorry about the kitchen."

The man nodded. "I can fix that. My family is much more important."

Harry turned his head at the sound of pops from the front yard. "I must go."

Harry disappeared after activating the portkey function on his Family ring and apparating back to the Doghouse. He came out of the arrival room to find Remus and Nicky there.

"Five of them, and they got out before I could grab one," Harry said.

Remus frowned at that. "A raid in the middle of the day? They're getting brave."

"I know, and that's what worries me," Harry sighed as he replaced his ninja suit with shorts and a t shirt magically. "That magical detector works great. I was able to get there before the DE's could do any serious damage."

"Sirius is at the office," Remus said as he headed into the kitchen. "He's sniffing round trying to find out when they might call you."

"That kind of worries me too," Harry admitted. "I do have complete faith in Gring and I know he'll beat them down when the time comes."

Harry leaned into the refrigerator for a cold ice tea and opened it. "Have you heard from anybody else yet? Anything from our friends?"

Remus sighed. "Not yet. I whispered things to my order contact and I haven't heard anything from him. Phineas Black chatted up his painting friends at the ministry and they haven't told him anything yet."

"That's not good," Harry said. "Wonder what's up?"

Remus reached for the pot of coffee and poured himself a cup. "I'm sure we will find out before long."

"Oh joy," Harry groaned.

Remus grinned and headed for the living room and back to what he had been working on. Harry was sure the other shoe would hit the floor before long and when it did, it wouldn't be fun.

The other shoe did hit the floor precisely at seven in the morning three days later. Harry jumped at the pounding on his bedroom door at Potter House. The door flew open and Remus raced in.

"Harry!" he yelled. "Get your butt up! Phineas just informed me that your trial starts in an hour in one of the major courtrooms at the ministry! He thinks they're trying to pull a nasty on you!"

Harry bounced out of bed. "Call Gring and let him know right now. I gotta get dressed!"

Harry raced through the shower and got into a dark blue suit with a powder blue shirt, a peach colored tie, and black dress boots. He raced down the stairs and into the come and go room as Dobby called it. He made sure he had his school wand with him and not the Potter wand. He flooed out and into the atrium at the ministry, taking a few seconds to wipe the soot off his suit. He checked the directory and located the courtroom he was supposed to go to and ran for the elevator. It slid backwards a few feet and then dropped downwards fast. Harry worked to calm his nerves and by the time the elevator stopped he was ready for combat. Just before he reached the doors Gring popped up behind him. The goblin was pissed and Harry knew it.

"They have us right where we want them my friend," Harry said softly. "No mercy."

The goblin smiled, showing his very sharp pointy teeth. "As if I was going to give them any."

Harry smiled. "Just like we planned, by the nines."

Gring giggled and Harry knew he was going to win. He pulled open the door and both of them walked in. The place was rather impressive. Vaulted ceiling, the room was huge and done completely in grey. Wood chairs, wood table, a high pulpit overlooking the floor. Harry nodded as he walked in. He noted the people sitting there all in red, Fudge up in the pulpit looking down at him.

"My complements to the interior decorator," Harry grinned.

Fudge growled and Gring set his bulging leather briefcase down on the defense table.

"So nice of you to join us," Fudge said.

"It's my pleasure," Harry said, "considering I got your most gracious invitation barely an hour ago. I do believe it's proper procedure to notify all parties involved at least a week in advance."

"We would have, Mr. Potter, but you are a person most difficult to communicate with," Fudge sniffed with distain.

Wow. Fudge certainly had a creepy crawly up his arse. Harry wondered if the Idiot-Who-Must-Be-Named got his hooks into him through somebody. He observed a slight smile on Umbridge's face and got his answer to that question. He turned his attention to Fudge.

"Now that the accused is present, this trial can begin. Court scribe Percival Weasley will now read the charges," Fudge stated.

Harry turned his attention to Percy. From the way he looked it was obvious that Percy had changed drastically. He now wore a three piece suit, brand new glasses, new hairstyle, and a look of contempt on his face completed his new look. Percy had gone over to the ministry.

"The charges against the accused are as follows," Percy began in his official voice, making Harry wonder if the ministry taught him how to speak in an official manner, "that on the date and time in question, did knowingly and deliberately, in front of a muggle, and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, produce a Patronus Charm, in an muggle-inhabited area, an offense under paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery 1875 and also under section thirteen of the International Confederation of Wizard's Statute of Secrecy."

Harry was impressed that Percy got all of that out in one breath. Percy sat down and took up his pen, ready to take notes on what had been said.

"Very impressive," Gring began, standing up and coming round to the front of the table. "So to make all of that short, Harry violated two rules while saving the life of Daniel Granger."

Fudge leaned forward. "He did."

"Perhaps we should examine the fact closely," Gring said, turning to Harry. "According to Harry, he was on his way to dinner at the Grange's house when he observed the dementors attacking Mr. Granger, and went to stop the attack."

"How did he know what they were?" Fudge demanded.

Gring turned to Harry and nodded. Harry stood up and faced the jury.

"I've encountered them at least twice already," he stated.

"You have?" a witch with a monocle in the front row asked. "Please tell us about it."

Harry sighed. "The first time was on the train in my second year. I was sitting in my compartment when the train stopped. The air turned freezing cold, the windows frosted over, and my girlfriend Hermione got very cold so I gave her my cloak in an effort to keep her warm. The door to my compartment opened up and I saw a skeleton hand appear on the door frame and push the door open. That scared me, as I had never encountered them before. It appeared in the doorway looking at us."

"What did they look like?" the witch asked.

Harry shivered from the memory. "Tall bleached white skeleton wearing a black cloak."

"What did it do?" she asked.

Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It glided in, and I felt so cold, like the warmth had been sucked out of me. That damn thing forced me to remember the night… the night my mother died."

The jury gasped and Fudge shivered.

"I don't remember much after that. I woke up on the seat of my compartment and Professor Lupin was giving me chocolate to help me recover. Hermione was in a bad way so I fed her a bit of chocolate as well. Once the train got to Hogsmeade, a group of the guys and me helped all that was affected into carts," Harry closed his eyes and the memories came back. "Second time was during a Quidditch match. A bunch of them came after me while I was chasing the Snitch. They affected me so much that I lost conscience and fell off my broom. Everybody in Ravenclaw saved me from going splat."

Fudge was going pale and people shivered. Harry went to sit down.

"The reason they were on the train and at Hogwarts, Ladies and Lords, was because of the panic at the Ministry when Sirius Black checked out of Azkaban," Gring informed the jury as he reached out for Harry's hand and grasped it. "That's how Mr. Potter knew who and what they were. The Patronus Charm is the only known defense against the Dementors, and one that needs to be taught to all in the event that the Dementors attack innocents in our world and the muggle world. But the question in my mind right now is, how did they know Mr. Potter was going to be there? Was it by chance that they encountered him, or did someone knowing he was going to be in that area inform the dementors and offer them the opportunity to harm Mr. Potter?"

Harry raised his head as he realized where Gring was going with this.

"Mr. Granger's being in the immediate area was accidental. His death could be blamed on Mr. Potter if he should fail to properly defend himself and Mr. Granger. However, Mr. Potter took it upon himself to search for a way to defend himself from them and found the Patronus Charm and learned it as his goal was to protect all others before his own life. The fight took place inside the tunnel underneath the path. There was absolutely no way anyone could have seen anything. I've been at the location to see for myself. One would have to enter the tunnel to see anything. The only reason Mr. Granger saw the dementor was because the dementor appeared to him prior to attempting the kiss. The weather was extremely hot that day. There were no people in the park at that moment," Gring stated. "Mr. Potter did exactly what he had to do and did it. If he had not, he would be right now answering to Mrs. Granger, Hermione Granger, his family the Potters and the Yamadas, and to himself for failing to save Mr. Granger from them. That is something that is most difficult to live with, knowing that you failed to save lives when you should have."

"Be as it may, he still violated the law," Fudge snapped.

"Really? You are going to keep harping on that? Very well then," Gring said, reaching for a stack of papers. "Miss Granger was kind enough to do some research for me and came up with a number of cases in which underaged witches and wizards used magic to save lives. By my count I hold some fifty cases that she was able to locate, and in each incident, the inquiry came directly from DMLE, found in the Hogwarts Library, in history of Magic books, and each one was not charged or convicted for the offenses you attempt to use against Mr. Potter, some minor, some very major, and most in between. In several of those cases they saved the Magical world from irreparable harm. I would be happy to share these cases with you Ladies and Lords."

"The boy must be punished!" Fudge thundered.

Gring had turned his back to Fudge to place the papers back on the desk. Harry saw the feral grin on the goblin's face and knew he was about to deliver the death blow.

"Excuse me? Did you just call Mr. Potter boy?" Gring growled as he turned around.

Fudge looked down at Harry with a look of superiority. "I did. So what of it!"

"Need I remind you sir, that Lord Harrison James Potter has been Emancipated per the will of his late parents, the Lady Lily and the Lord James Potter, to which you agreed to, and signed off on, to which I am in possession of the document that you sir, did indeed signed. Lord Harrison James Potter is, by all rights, a legally emancipated minor, with all the rights of an adult and very capable of carrying out his affairs to which I am his solicitor of record and advisor on all matters of interest to him. You sir, and this court, do owe him an apology for having dragged his good name through this farce of a trial and having caused him mental and physical anguish at having been forced to recall memories that have caused him pain in remembering the fate that befell his mother!" Gring snarled, making an effort not to climb the pulpit that Fudge was standing in and getting into the man's face.

Harry did his best to give the jury his best sad puppy dog eyes look. Fudge had gone absolute pale, nearly as white as he possibly get. The witch with the monocle in the front row stood up in the ensuing silence and turned on Fudge.

"You…" she began but failed to finish the sentence. "All those in favor of dropping charges, show hands."

Nearly everybody in the room raised their hands except for a few. Harry's guess about Voldemort's supporters voting against him had been spot on.

Fudge turned to Harry and pointed to the door. "Get out," he snarled in a barely controlled rage.

Harry stood up and bowed. As he did so, he glanced at Umbridge and there was a slight smile on her face. Harry had no doubt that Fudge had just played into her hands. He shivered at the thought of those claws closing in around the Fudge jewels and then squeezing hard. Harry helped Gring pack up and both of them left casually. That battle was over.

Both of them shared a victory drink in Ragnock's office, toasting their success. Harry thanked Gring and promised him a bonus for a job well done. Harry then port keyed back to the Doghouse, finding everybody there. Harry grinned.

"Somebody please order up a six pack of pizza as I am going to show a home movie right now," Harry announced. "You're gonna love it."

Sirius grinned as he raced out to the van while chairs were moved around to face the blank wall where Harry would project his memories of the trial. He got the pensive and took his time in gathering up his memory of the day and deposited it into the bowl. Harry got an ice cold Guinness from the refrigerator and took center seat. Sirius arrived with the pizzas and everyone took what they wanted. Once everyone settled down Harry started the playback. At one point Hermione grabbed Harry's right arm as his memory from the train was shown. The others turned a bit pale but said nothing as the movie rolled on. The last bit with Gring stalking Fudge and dressing him down had all of them cheering. Harry smiled as he got a hug from Hermione. The twins started a victory dance with Nicky jumping in a few seconds later. Sirius and Remus were grinning at each other and Harry wondered just what kind of payback they were planning. Harry turned to the gathering once people settled down.

"So, any idea just how much longer Fudge will stay in office after that?" Harry asked.

Fred had to laugh at that. "Not much longer. You and Gring made him look like an idiot in front of all of those people and he's likely to not forget that anytime soon. Once we find a way to get the Great Idiot to reveal himself he's done for."

"Did any of you see Umbridge?" Harry asked.

Hermione frowned at that. "I don't like her, Harry. Something about her just sets me on edge. I have a feeling we're going to see her some time soon."

"My feeling on her is that she's in somebody's pocket and that she doesn't like being there. She wants power, and I'm willing to bet she plans to sweep Fudge out of the way and take over. I think we need to add her to the major baddie list," Harry said.

Everybody agreed to that and her picture on the wall moved from the minor baddie list to the major baddie list in a spot by herself. Words appeared by her name and Nicky read them off as he was the closest to her picture.

"Possible supporter of the Great Idiot, out for herself, capable of anything including murder and blackmail, schemer, con artist, gets others to do her dirty work, possible connection in the dementor attack against Harry, and whatever else," Nicky read out loud. "This is one creepy bitch."

People laughed at that one. Harry grinned as he checked his watch. It was nearly one in the afternoon.

"Don't know about you folks, but I'm gonna have a go in the training room and then go cool off in the pool. Anybody want in?" Harry asked.

"I've been having a go in there myself," Nicky announced.

Harry blinked at that. "You have? But you don't have magic."

"I know I don't, but that's a moot point. I've been using fighting sticks and knives. Made some real interesting discoveries, too. Since that bleedin' crazy bit me I've discovered me body has changed some," Nicky started.

"Faster, eyesight improved, hearing improved, capable of popping claws out of the tips of your fingers, stronger than normal," Hermione theorized.

"Yeah! All of that," he said. "So I been workin' on them weights and in the fightin' room and feeling good about it. Mind if I join the party?"

"Sure," Harry said, now interested in what Nicky was capable of.

Nicky just smiled as he left the room. Harry went up to his room to change out of his suit and into something more appropriate for the exercise. He went down to find Nicky in jeans, a t shirt, steel toe construction boots, a pair of fighting sticks tucked into the back of his belt, and a pair of large knives strapped to each leg.

"Let's party, mate!" he exclaimed and then stepped into the fighting arena. A lookalike of Greyback shimmered into view. Harry blinked. Nicky had been fighting that?

"Here kitty here kitty," Nicky whistled at Greyback and the image roared and charged.

Nicky grinned and charged. "Goongala!"

"He's been binge watching the turtles again," Sirius sighed as the twins rolled on the floor.

They watched as Nicky danced around Greyback and sliced him up with his knives. Harry wondered just who had been training him. A ninja popped up next to Harry.

[He has improved greatly Harry-san,] he said.

Harry turned to him. [You have been training him, Kaito?]

Kaito had come over from the Hidden Village Harry had grown up in offering his assistance. His disability slowed him down quite a bit, his right knee having taken a bullet in one of those one in a million freak accidents during a mission. He had offered to train anyone in Harry's group who wanted to improve their fighting skills and he had been working with everybody, including Neville, who had really taken to the training.

[Yes. His werewolf traits make him a natural. However, he wishes to defend the Doghouse should it ever come under attack as he believes his skill with the computers comes first,] Kaito said.

[He's a good man,] Harry stated.

Nicky's approach to fighting was rather wild, as he didn't conform to the 'normal' fighting styles. He just used whatever came to mind and it seemed to work. As Harry watched, several DE's popped up and Harry took that as his cue to charge in. Neville was next, and then a moment later the Weasley twins jumped in there and it became a wild free for all melee.

Later in the early evening when everyone had gone home Harry took Hermione back to Potter House with him for a bit of quiet time. They were sitting in front of the fireplace, Hermione snuggled in close to him and Lionel Ritchie was singing a love song on the stereo. It was moments like this that made Harry happy, moments like this that the world outside simply faded away and it was just them. There were so many plans that Harry wanted to share with Hermione for their future together. He knew that there would be no future until the Voldemort issue was settled. Harry pushed that thought away back into the filing cabinet it came from and closed the drawer. He didn't want to think about that right now. The only thing on his mind at the moment was just to be with Hermione, to hold her hand, to feel her right next to him. He could feel his heart swell up with love for her. Eric Clapton came up with 'Running on Faith' on the stereo and it fit what he was feeling at the moment. He couldn't help but sing the words right along with Clapton. This would be a moment that he'd remember for the rest of his life, and it would keep him going during the darker moments of his life. The song ended and the magic of the moment faded. The grandfather clock in the hall began to chime, going nine bells. Harry sighed.

"I didn't want this moment to end yet," he said softly.

Hermione squeezed his hand. "Neither did I, love. There will be many more moments like this, you know that."

"I know, and I look forward to each one," Harry sighed.

He stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. He didn't want to let go just yet. They headed to the come and go room. Harry stood there in the doorway and held her as they kissed goodnight. She smiled as she stepped inside and then a moment later she was gone. Harry stood there for a time as he tried to make sense of his feelings.

"Did I ever tell you of the girl I once had a crush on?" Constantine asked Harry as he shimmered into view.

Harry turned to face him. "No, you haven't."

Constantine smiled at the memory. "She had long black hair, green eyes, and she looked like a princess. She was the first I ever kissed. Did things to me deep down inside that I never thought possible. We had been friends for a long time prior to that. Way back them it was possible for a man your age to marry."

"Fifteen year old kids could marry?" Harry asked.

Constantine nodded. "Yes. My cousin got married when he was barely fifteen. I took Lucy to the dance that night and I had planned on asking her if I could start courting her. Never did as the Potter House fell under attack. I rushed home to defend the house, the women and other children. I managed to keep the house from being overrun until Daddy arrived. I died in Lucy's arms."

"I'm sorry you lost the chance to love," Harry said.

Constantine looked at Harry with a serious look on his face. "Don't you lose your chance to love her."

Harry nodded. "Never."

Constantine turned and faded away as he walked into the dark house. Harry went into the study and sat at his desk to think about things.

"Harry! You're needed!" Phineas Black shouted from his frame. "Attack in progress!"

Harry growled and slammed his fist on the desk. "Bloody wankers!"

Next Episode: The Noble and Ancient House of Black


	5. New Year Starts

Ninja Wizard V: Order of the Phoenix 05

By David

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and company belong to JK Rowlings.

Author's Notes: These marks '[ ]' indicate Japanese being spoken.

Ninja Wizard V: Order of the Phoenix 05

"Another Year Begins"

Harry sighed as he took his seat in a compartment in one of the rear cars on the Hogwarts Express. It had been one hell of a summer, fighting the DE's, going through a farce of a trial, and dealing with the bad press he had been getting through the Daily Prophet. He had a good idea of who was behind it all but there was no way he could prove it. So he let that go for now. They weren't worth it. Harry had much better things to do like hang out with his friends and fight the DE's. Now he was headed back to Hogwarts for another year. He hoped this year would be a bit better than last year. He would know the moment he walked into the castle. He looked up when Hermione came through the door. Harry immediately noticed the prefect badge on her robe.

"You made prefect," Harry noted. "Always knew you'd get that post."

She sat down next to him. "Thanks Harry," she said. "Miss McGonagall handed it to me herself as she was in my neighborhood to meet up with a potential first year. I went with her to meet the family. Alice is the first in generations to have magic and her parents were concerned about her having magic. I was able to help put their fears to rest."

Harry smiled. "You did good, Hermione."

"I can introduce you to her later. In fact, I could introduce you to the lot of them in a bit and maybe you could give them a quick lecture on Hogwarts," Hermione suggested.

Harry thought about that for a moment and then made up his mind. "Why not? Sounds like fun."

"Good. We could do that in about an hour before arrival," Hermione suggested.

"Even better. So what are you doing for the rest of the ride?" Harry asked.

Hermione sighed. "I've just got out of the prefect's meeting. I've got to walk the train a few times to make sure everything's okay. Just to let you know, Malfoy's been made prefect for Slytherin House."

Harry closed his eyes and let his head go back against the wall behind him. That bit of news he did not need. Malfoy would definitely become a problem.

"Just one more person to avoid," Harry said a moment later.

Hermione rested a hand on his left shoulder. "I know. My only suggestion is to document everything he says and does and report him to McGonagall. If enough complaints about him build up she can rescind his prefect status. He might then learn he can't get away with what he does."

Harry smiled at the thought. "Pass that around. If a lot of us do that, it will make him look like crap."

"I'll do that. Everybody's coming down here so you can have a quick meet to plan for the next year. Ron's on the train, and he's looking for you," Hermione informed him.

Harry scratched his chin and nodded. "Right. I'll have a go at him first and then he can join us. I take it he's passed everyone else?"

"He has, including me. I say give him a chance to prove himself. He's changed for the better, Harry. Dumbledore is right in some respects. You can reform somebody," Hermione stated.

"Provided you intercede before they get any worse," Harry pointed out.

Hermione stood up as somebody knocked on the door. "I agree on that."

She turned to the door and opened it to find Draco Malfoy and his two goons standing there. Draco wore a very nasty smile on his face.

"Something you need, Mr. Malfoy?" Harry asked, closing his eyes. "I am rather tired, having gotten to bed very late last night."

"I suggest you start showing me proper respect, Potter. I am a prefect now and I can and will report you to Professor Snape or Miss McGonagall for any infractions or disrespect committed in my presence, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"I'm so happy for you, Malfoy. Now kindly do me a favor and take your two boyfriends with you and go somewhere else, like out the back door of the train," Harry said.

"You're just jealous of me being a prefect and you're not," Malfoy accused him.

Harry chuckled. "Jealous of you? Never gonna happen."

Draco growled and stormed off as Harry laughed. "What a wimpy little boy."

Ron showed up at that moment. "What did I miss?"

"Harry putting Malfoy in his place," Hermione told him.

Ron blinked. "Really? How did Harry manage to get him down the toilet?"

"Ron, please don't tempt me," Harry said with a smile. "Malfoy just might enjoy the ride."

The three of them laughed over that and then Hermione turned to walk down to the end of the train. Ron turned to Harry.

"Come on in, Ron. Grab a seat," Harry said. "What's on your mind?"

Ron sat down after closing the door. "Thanks Harry. Just wanted to say thanks for giving me a second chance, even though I don't deserve it."

Harry sat up and opened his eyes. "You deserve it, Ron, for the simple reason that you did see the light after people got through to you. Some people do deserve redemption when they ask for it. The DE's don't due to their unwillingness to change."

"As you may have heard, I have a distant cousin who is very opinioned and I made the mistake of listening to him and it just snowballed from there," Ron said.

"Add to the fact that you were a bit young when you first met the guy and he thought you were the perfect target of his bigotry and got you indoctrinated into it," Harry said.

"He's not around anymore," Ron said. "He got sent to someplace else where he'll be watched and helped for that."

"Good," Harry said. "Now I take it this is the last we'll ever discuss this?"

Ron nodded. "We will. Fred and George told me there's some kind of meeting going on down here?"

Harry smiled. That was the signal he had been waiting for. "There is, and you're invited."

Neville and Luna were the first to arrive, followed by Ginny, with the twins close behind. Hermione slipped in at the last moment, and she sealed the door and checked for listening spells.

"Okay, let's come to order. First item on the table is Ronald Weasley. All those in favor of him joining us say aye, those opposed nay."

The vote was yes.

"Welcome to the New Marauders, Ron. Our purpose is to take the fight to the DE's and to the one we call the Idiot-Who-Must-Be-Named," Harry said.

Ron looked surprised at that. "But I thought you were a part of Dumbledore's group!"

Harry sighed. "He never invited me, Ron. He's still chasing me trying to get me under his thumb. Besides, I have it on good authority that all they do is sit around and talk, no action."

"And you're doing something?" Ron said.

Harry nodded. "We are."

"But that guy in black the papers are saying he's been taking out the DE's left and right, and he's embarrassed Dumbledore a few times," Ron stated. "He's really the one taking out the trash."

Harry smiled at that as the others chuckled. Ron stared at Harry for a few minutes until it all came together in his mind.

"You're the guy in black," Ron said.

Harry leaned forward. "I am, and I know you're ready for that information. Fred and George say you learned the mind arts very well, having tested your mental defenses a few times. A big chess set in your head. Very nice, Ron."

"That's not all I can do!" Ron stated, and a moment later a red fox stood there grinning at them.

Harry leaned forward and scratched Ron behind the ears. The fox sighed and shivered in pleasure.

"Mr. Red," George said suddenly. "That's his Marauder name."

Ron morphed back into his human self. "I like that one. I'll take it."

Harry checked his watch and then leaned back. "Okay. The one thing that needs to be reported is that Malfoy is a prefect. He's already gunning for me so I need to be a lot more alert than usual, and so do the rest of you. He'll be looking for a way to snare one of us up so badly that we'd be in either serious trouble or eliminated. So everybody be careful. Document everything he says and does. If we pile more than enough complaints on him on McGonagall's desk she will have to act on that. Pass that around discretely. George, Fred, any idea who the new instructors are going to be this year? Rumor intelligence has it that McGonagall was unable to find anyone for DADA so the ministry sent her one."

Both of them and Ginny shook their heads no.

"Dad hasn't said anything," Fred responded.

Ginny turned to Harry. "I asked him this morning and he said he didn't know so that leads me to conclude that the ministry is keeping the identity of the DADA instructor a close secret."

Hermione frowned at that. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Neither do I," Harry agreed. "There's nothing we can do right now so we'll just have to wait and see. About the last hour of the trip Hermione and I are going to call all of the newbies together and give them an introduction to Hogwarts, answer questions, and so on. Since this is Friday night, I'm thinking tours around the castle on Saturday."

"Some of us could demonstrate things," Fred offered.

Harry nodded. "I like that idea. Let's do it."

"Too bad nobody did that for us in our first year," Ron grouched.

Hermione sighed. "I agree with Ron. That's why we're doing it now."

"I just hope somebody keeps up the tradition we've started when we leave," Ginny said.

Everybody in the group agreed.

"Okay. Later tonight we can meet in my flat after the Welcoming Feast once we know who this mystery professor is and discuss options. Then we'll discuss other things," Harry said.

The meeting broke up and everyone went in different directions. Ron stayed with Harry and Hermione.

The last hour of the train ride Harry and Hermione went looking for the newbies and got them together in one of the cars that had group seating. Once all of the newbies got settled in they turned their attention to Harry and Hermione.

"Hi, my name is Harry Potter and this lady here is my girlfriend Miss Hermione Granger, and we called this little meet just to welcome all of you to Hogwarts and to answer any questions you might have about Hogwarts," Harry started, and it went from there.

There were a lot of good questions, and Hermione was able to answer nearly all of them while Harry took his share of the questions. The meeting broke up when the voice over the loudspeaker announced Hogwarts in ten minutes. The newbies ran off to get their robes as Harry and Hermione stepped out of the way. A moment later they were alone.

"Were we really like that when we got started here?" Hermione wondered.

Harry had to smile. "We were, and we have grown up some."

"Some of us have," Hermione agreed.

Harry leaned forward and kissed her. "Have I told you that I love you yet today?"

"You just did," Hermione smiled.

"Mind if I do it again?"

Hermione giggled. "You can do it as many times as you wish, kind sir."

"Thank you love," Harry said and kissed her again.

Harry wrapped his arms around her and held her for a few minutes until the train came to a full stop.

"Guys, I hate to break up the mushy stuff but it's time to go," Ron's voice came at them from the door to the rail car.

Harry and Hermione sighed. They kissed again and then let go of each other.

"Back to work," Hermione sighed.

Harry laughed. "Yipper."

They got off the train and began directing the newbies in Hagrid's direction. The half giant beamed when he saw Harry and Hermione helping him out.

"Yeh all right there?" he asked.

Harry grinned up at his friend. "Doing just fine, Hagrid. We'll come see you later."

"Good, an' I'll have me best tea waitin' for yeh both," he said, and then turned to the first years. "Okay you lot, into the boats, four to a boat."

The kids cheered and began getting in. Harry grinned at the memory of his first night here came back. He turned to Hermione and offered his right hand to her.

"Thinking about that first night here, Harry?" she asked him.

Harry smiled. "Yeah. It is something I'll never ever forget. Number two on the list of best memories."

"What's number one?" Hermione asked Harry.

"The first time we kissed in the hospital wing," Harry grinned as he led her up to a cart.

They got in and the door closed. Hermione leaned into him.

"Can never forget that," she said.

The cart set off towards Hogwarts, taking the scenic route. It was obvious it had been raining because everything was wet and the air smelled like fresh pine from the wet trees. It wasn't long before the castle came into view. Just like the first night every window was lit up brilliantly with torchlight. Harry gazed at the view before him and decided he was going to deposit the memory into his pensive and make a photo from it. It was simply an amazing sight.

Harry and Hermione walked in, Hermione on his arm. Harry escorted her to the Gryffindor table and left her there. He went to his usual spot at the foot of the Ravenclaw table and sat down. He glanced up at the head table and Flitwick nodded to him. Harry looked at the other teachers and staff looking for a new face. Snape as usual glared at him and Harry had to smile at that. Snape was being his usual self. Dumbledork nodded to Harry and Harry gave him a slight nod. They were acknowledging each other and that was good enough for now. McGonagall in her center seat favored him with a smile. Harry returned the smile and a bow of his head. He kept looking at the people up at the high table until he got to the one face he never expected: Umbridge.

"Oh Merlin, not her!" Harry slapped his face.

He knew deep down in his heart she was going to be trouble. A lot of questions went through his head, all of them speculating. Did she fall out of favor at the ministry? Was she here to spy on him? Was she here to disrupt Hogwarts? Was she to try and put the Dumbledork back into power? Harry could only guess. He glanced over at Hermione and she looked like she was trying to read Umbridge's mind. Harry decided to have Hermione do a bit of research on the woman in the next few days to see what she could find out. That might give them a clue to her line of thinking. Harry knew from having observed her at the trial she was gunning for the minister's job from the way she was looking at Fudge. Harry decided to observe her during the Welcoming Feast. Perhaps she would make some kind of speech in which she would reveal her plan to the school. Harry dismissed that thought immediately. She wasn't that stupid. He turned his attention to McGonagall when she stood up. The hall went quiet as she stood at the podium with clasped hands in front of her resting on the podium.

"To all of you I say welcome back to Hogwarts!" she stated, getting a round of applause.

McGonagall continued. "In a moment the first years will enter the hall to be sorted. Please make them welcome. I was informed by a number of people that Mr. Potter and Miss Granger had taken it upon themselves to meet with the first years and give them an introduction to Hogwarts. Both of them have earned twenty points each for doing so. Mr. Potter, do you intend to lead them on tours around Hogwarts tomorrow?"

Harry rose and faced her. "If it pleases the Lady McGonagall I shall."

"It does, and we will announce that before the end of the feast," McGonagall said.

Harry took his seat and she continued. "The first years will now enter."

The hall broke out into polite applause as the first years entered the hall and walked down the center aisle to the front. Madame Hootch, the flying instructor, entered stage left with the three legged stool and placed the sorting hat on the top of it and stepped back. She looked down at the first years.

"After the hat sings to us, I will call your name. You come up, sit on the stool, and place the hat on your head. It will look inside of you to see what you're made up of and choose which house you are to go to," she said and then stepped back.

A moment later the hat came to life and looked around the room at everybody, and then looked down at the first years. He smiled at them.

"Oh goody, fresh meat," he said, cracking up everybody. "Now listen up!"

McGonagall just sighed as the hat began to rhyme in time his new song. The first years perked up and clapped along and then a moment later the rest of the hall joined in. The hat finished a moment later and then bowed as the hall applauded. Hootch slid forward with the list of names in her hand. The hall went quiet as she glared at everybody. Harry wondered if she ever clashed with Snape, and if she did, who won the fight. Harry would have put money on her immediately. He observed Umbridge during the sorting. She looked like she was observing everybody and Harry wondered just what she was thinking. Whatever it was Harry was sure she was up to no good. He turned his attention back to the sorting and smiled each time Ravenclaw gained a newbie. Right after the last newbie was sorted, McGonagall stood up and the hall went silent once more.

"Now that the first years have been sorted, let the feast begin!" she declared, and in moments the food appeared on the tables, the first years reacting in delight.

Harry had to smile as he remembered his reaction the first time that happened to him the first night he was here. Some things never changed. Harry looked over the choices in front of him and started in on salad, and then moved on to steak, potato, corn on the cob, and finished off with a slice of chocolate cake. He knew he was putting an extra hard work out in the morning. As he ate, he listened to the talk going on around him, and it seemed like nobody was concerned about Umbridge being here. Somehow he had the feeling that she would be the start to what was to come. Harry hoped not.

The hall grew silent as McGonagall rose once more. Harry turned his attention to her and glanced at Umbridge as he did so. She had a slight smile on her face and Harry wondered what she was going to do.

"Thank you for your attention," McGonagall began. "I do have a few things to say. First off the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all. I say that because of what lurks in there. We know very little of what kind of creatures lives in the forest, and they are dangerous or not. If one of you should go in there, it would be very easy for you to get lost in there. That is why it is forbidden to go in there, ever."

The hall was silent as she let that sink in.

"Second, I am pleased in inform you all that Professor Grubbly-Plank is returning to teach Care of Magical Creatures for another year. I would like to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," McGonagall stated.

Polite applause greeted that announcement. Harry glanced up at the high table as he set down his cup of tea. He blinked in surprise as Umbridge stood up. Nobody had ever done that before. He watched as she came around the high table and smiled sweetly at McGonagall. McGonagall did not look happy.

"Thank you for those wonderful words of welcome!" Umbridge gushed happily.

Harry could almost feel his blood sugar levels go up at the sweet, sugary words. He glanced over at Hermione and she looked pissed off. One thing Harry had learned long ago was that you never pissed off Hermione. McGonagall took a step back as Umbridge turned to face the hall. He had a bad feeling down deep in his gut telling him to run like hell.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born with may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding Community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching," Umbridge stated.

Harry didn't see anything wrong with that. He approved of what she had said so far and it seemed to him that even McGonagall approved of what she said so far.

"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation…"

Harry noticed that people were losing interest in the speech. He observed people whispering to each other. Up at the high table Hagrid was nodding off. Snape looked bored. McGonagall was tapping her right toe. Dumbledork was calm, but the look in his eyes suggested anything but. Harry glanced over at Hermione, and she was listening.

"… because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited," she said loftily, and then went to sit down.

People suddenly snapped to and gave up a bit of applause. Harry scratched his chin for a moment and then glanced over at Hermione. She was definitely pissed off. Harry nodded and then gave the signal for an emergency meeting in his private flat. He knew that this year was not going to be fun. At all.

Dumbledore sat back and quietly analyzed what Umbridge had just said. He stood up and bowed to McGonagall and she nodded back to him. Dumbledore then left the high table and went behind the backdrop to a small door that went into a long hall. He slowly walked down the hall, his hands behind his back, as he tried to make sense of what Umbridge had just said. He was aware of the arguments that McGonagall had with Fudge in the weeks prior to the start of term, she had appeared in his quarters a few times to vent her frustration. Dumbledore had offered her tea in an effort to calm her, which had done no good. Dumbledore emerged into the main foyer of the castle and then climbed the stairs to his quarters inside the History of Magic classroom. He sat down in his squishy recliner after pouring out a glass of fifteen year old scotch. He raised the glass and considered the amber colored liquid inside his glass as his mind slowly worked out what it was that Umbridge had been trying to say. All he felt at the moment was that she was up to something, and he wondered if she had browbeaten Fudge into going along with it. One thing was becoming clear to him, and that was the fact that Umbridge was becoming a very dangerous person to have there at Hogwarts. He sipped the scotch slowly as he turned the problem of what to do with the woman over in his mind. He knew history was littered with people like her, and somewhere, someplace, someone had come up with a solution to deal with problem people like her. Dumbledore slowly smiled as he hit on what he thought was the solution. He would concentrate his instruction on people who overcame great odds, and hoped that Harry would get the message he would be trying to send. He certainly knew Miss Granger would. By flying Harry at Umbridge, he would be looking for the perfect opening he needed to get the boy back under his control.

Once the hall was dismissed, Harry began looking for Hermione. He did run into a very happy hyperactive house elf named Dobby.

"Master Harry!" Dobby beamed. "A message for you!"

He handed Harry a bit of parchment and then disappeared. Harry stepped off to the side and read it.

"Lord Potter, it appears that you will have to stay in your private flat again this year. The situation within Ravenclaw House has not been settled as of yet. Flitwick," Harry read to himself.

Harry sighed. That would explain the very unfriendly looks he had gotten when he sat down at the far end of the house table. Harry turned and headed up the stairs, following the crowd until he got to the third floor landing and stepped into the small foyer area where a number of classrooms were. Harry leaned up against the wall observing things for a moment until he was sure nobody was paying attention. He went to the hall just around the corner from the boy's room and went down it until he got to the picture of Tomotsu Miyamoto. The old samurai opened the large painting the size of a door into the private flat that Harry called his home when not at the Doghouse or Potter House.

[Harry, welcome back,] Miyamoto said.

Harry smiled. [Good to see you. I have friends coming.]

[I will be looking out for them,] Miyamoto said.

Harry sighed and went to the couch where his pack was. He began unloading things from the pack and putting them away. His four level trunk went against the wall in his bedroom. His swords went into the stand on top of a black lacquered table in the living room. He hung some of his Japanese art on the walls of the living room, kitchen, and the bedroom. Dobby popped up with a load of snacks and drinks for the meeting and then popped away. Hermione was the first to arrive, bringing Ron with her. Then it was the twins with Ginny, followed by Neville and Luna. Harry offered up the drinks and the snacks, taking a cup of tea for himself. He sat down on his two seater couch, Hermione sitting down to the right of him. The others took their usual places. Ron sat down in a blue beanbag. Harry opened the meeting.

"Did anyone hear her speech?" Harry asked.

"Put me to sleep," Ron said.

Neville shook his head. "Boring!"

"Sorry Harry, we were planning some new thing," Fred stated.

Luna sighed. "The ministry is making an attempt to take over Hogwarts through her."

"You caught that?" Hermione asked in surprise.

Neville looked at Luna. "You think so?"

"In so many words, yes. Daddy and I have heard rumors for ages that Fudge hated Dumbledore because he is afraid that Dumbledore is going to try and take over," Luna informed them.

"Well I don't know about that bit but that's what I got out of the speech," Hermione spoke up. "She's here to try and cause dissention, and by doing that, give the ministry opportunity to come in and take control of Hogwarts."

"Wasn't Hogwarts created first?" Ron piped up. "The Wizengamot came much later."

Hermione nodded. "It was, by the four Founders. That really was the first organization in the Wizarding World, someplace in the 9th or the 10th centuries. The Ministry of Magic didn't happen until 1707, with the Wizengamot a little bit thereafter."

"So Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic are completely separate, nothing to do with each other," George stated.

"So what gives the ministry the right to poke their tiny noses in Hogwarts business?" Ginny wanted to know.

"To prove that they can get away with anything?" Ron asked.

Harry smiled. "That's it, right there."

"If I may," Miyamoto spoke up.

Everyone turned to look at the old samurai leaning back in his chair with a cup of sake.

"Back in my day there were lords and those in power who thought that they were beyond approach, that they could get away with anything. They upset the natural order of things. Now understand that there are those in power that are responsible for educating the young. They were charged with ensuring that the young learned what they needed to learn in order to better themselves and provide leadership. There were a few individuals who thought that they had the right to control what the young should learn," Miyamoto sipped at the sake.

"So what happened to them?" Ron asked.

Miyamoto casually picked up his tanto (a short knife) and used it to slice an orange in half. "They were forcibly removed by those they pissed off."

Ron turned pale. "Oops?"

"No, more like good riddance to bad trash," Miyamoto grinned as the others laughed.

Harry turned back to the others. "The best thing we can do for now is to be cool and see where she takes things. We can document things and if she does start to get out of control, put the documentation and take it to the Wizengamot. If that fails, there's always the press. Enough stuff comes out on her, people are gonna start taking notice and then Fudge is gonna have to pull her. Unfortunately with all of the bad press I've been getting, it's gonna have to come from somebody else. But we'll deal with that when we get there. Don't push her, don't piss her off, just be cool."

"Fifteen minutes to curfew," Miyamoto announced.

That broke up the meeting. Everyone left cautiously. Hermione was the last to leave and managed to catch a moment with each other before Hermione left. The door closed behind her. Harry smiled as he turned away from the door. He headed to his desk and sat down with a cup of tea. He cleared his head for a moment and then wrote one letter and used the copy spell to make a second copy. One copy went to his Japanese family, the other went to Sirius and Remus. They needed to know what was going on. Hopefully Sirius could shed a bit of light on Umbridge's personal history. He stood up and stretched out, popping things in his back, and then headed off to bed.

Harry met Hermione in the area in front of the great hall the next morning. She didn't look too happy and Harry wondered why.

"Harry, someone else is going to lead the tours around Hogwarts today, due to a rash of complaints. McGonagall decided it would be best if the prefects from each house led their first years around the castle," Hermione informed him.

Harry sighed in frustration. "When are they gonna let it go?"

"I don't know, Harry. It's their choice to do and say what they want. Sooner or later it's going to come back on them," Hermione said. "I know you much better than they do, and I know that you are a good person."

Harry smiled at that. "Thanks Hermione."

Harry sat at the foot of the Ravenclaw table and had breakfast, reading the Daily Prophet as he usually did. There was a big picture on the front page of McGonagall calling the hall to order with an article reporting the Welcoming Feast at Hogwarts. That was the only thing newsworthy at the moment. Harry tucked the paper away in his pocket and left the table when he was done. He headed outside, pulling his heavy jacket around him as the cold morning enveloped him. Hermione came up behind him and Harry turned around and smiled at her.

"A bit cold this morning," he said.

Hermione wrapped her arms around him and sighed. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I will love," Harry said after a moment. "Let them play their little pathetic games."

Hermione nodded. "I'm behind you one hundred percent."

"I know you are," Harry felt relieved to know he had somebody on his side.

She let go of him. "I gotta meet my first years in a minute. See you later?"

Harry nodded. "I'll find you. Library?"

"Yes," she stated. "I want to look up that woman."

Harry grinned. Hermione was off on another mission. "Deal."

She went back inside and Harry went down the steps onto the grounds. The peace and quiet was what he needed so he could work on the problem of Umbridge in his head. He wandered down to the boathouse where the docks overlooked Black Lake. He sat down on one of the benches and sighed. Suddenly Dobby popped up next to Harry. "Master Harry! I bring hot tea for you!"

"Thanks Dobby. I could use a bit of hot tea," Harry said as he took the metal tube from Dobby.

"I'm on your side, Master Harry," the elf told Harry with a serious expression on his normally cheerful face.

Harry smiled at Dobby. "Thank you Dobby. I really appreciate that. I'll be okay. I just need to work some things out in my head right now."

Dobby disappeared and Harry turned his attention to the lake. He sipped at the tea in the thermos as he examined the problem of Umbridge in his mind. No matter how he looked at the situation, he couldn't help but realize that Hermione and Luna had spoken the truth about Umbridge. There was one question that kept nagging at him. Where was Cedric Diggory? The last Harry had seen of him was the night of the final task. After that he had virtually disappeared. Harry wondered if his father made him leave Hogwarts, or did he leave on his own? Did someone pay him to keep quiet about what happened? Was he killed to get him out of the way? Harry decided he would get someone to send a letter and if it came back then he would know that Cedric had been taken out. The only reason that he was still here was that he had gone into safety during the summer. Now that he was back at Hogwarts, the potential of getting attacked had increased significantly, and it would be easy for someone to try and attack him. Harry decided to meditate a lot more to practice being aware of everything that was going on around him. As for Umbridge, he decided to see what Hermione came up with before starting to form an opinion on the toad like woman owing to the fact that she really did look like one. Harry stood up and headed back up the steps to the grounds. He headed across the lawns towards the gardens as he liked them and they provided a much better place for meditation. Halfway there he heard voices and saw a group of kids heading to the gardens. He changed course and headed towards Hagrid's place. Hagrid wasn't there so Harry decided to just head back to the castle. He walked in the main foyer and then went up the stairs to the fourth floor where he knew the charms classrooms were. He found Flitwick in his room.

"Ah, Mr. Potter! Just the man I wanted to see," Flitwick said as Harry walked in.

Harry smiled. He really liked and respected Flitwick.

"Anything I can do to help you out sir?" Harry asked.

Flitwick nodded as he walked over. "Please. I need a bit of cleanup help here."

Flitwick then directed Harry to what needed to be done. Harry got started with the magically assisted cleaning while Flitwick went back to the stack of papers and rolls of parchment.

"I have your classes here," Flitwick said, holding up Harry's time schedule.

Harry took it from him and looked at it. "Thank you sir."

"Any trouble yet, Mr. Potter?" Flitwick asked him.

Harry sighed. "Other than Malfoy throwing what tiny little brain cells he has around over the fact that he's prefect, no sir. I have suggested to people that they document everything he says and does to them in the event he tries to use his status as a prefect to cause trouble. If enough people get together and present a long list of complaints to McGonagall or the school governors, he'll lose his prefect badge. Be a good way to knock him down."

"Good thinking, Mr. Potter. I'll support and such action if I feel it warrants my support. Truth be told he is an arrogant little mutt," Flitwick said. "Just keep me informed and don't let anyone get to you. There are acceptable ways to blow off that anger."

Harry nodded. "I agree with that, sir."

Harry stayed in the Charms classroom cleaning whatever it was that needed cleaning until lunchtime. He went down to lunch and saw Hermione looking at him. She tapped a book that was on the table in front of her and Harry got the message immediately. Hermione wanted to tell him something.

They met in front of the library right after lunch. Hermione led Harry to a very secluded corner where they sat down in chairs. Neville, Luna, and Ginny joined them.

"What did you discover, Hermione?" Neville asked.

Hermione opened a book and showed them the picture of a dumpy looking girl. "Umbridge. She was Slytherin House under a Professor Horace Slughorn. He taught potions. From there she joined the ministry and slowly worked her way up the ladder. I think it was more of clawed and slashed her way to the position of Undersecretary to the Minister. According to what I was able to find out, her father was employed at the ministry as a janitor. He's not there anymore, having retired quite a few years ago. It's been said that he left England about that time. Where he is now is anybody's guess. As for the rest of the family I haven't been able to find out where they are. That information came from Rita Skeeter's articles in Witch Weekly and not the Prophet."

"Gran thinks she's full of it," Neville said.

Harry looked up. "I wouldn't be so quick to discount that information, Neville. I have the feeling that information may be accurate. The two, three times that I've been able to observe her I've had the feeling she's capable of anything. If she can convince Fudge to let her come here and take over Hogwarts then she's capable of doing anything."

"Do you think she's connected to…" Ginny suggested.

Harry thought about that for a moment. "Very possible. If she sees him as a way to power, that's what she'll do if she hasn't already. He's a hell of a lot worse than the ministry."

"Especially if she screws up," Hermione said.

Harry smiled. "People like her usually do screw up. Question is will she survive the encounter with him? I seriously doubt that she will."

"I say we wait and see what she does here first before doing anything," Hermione said.

Ginny shifted in her chair. "Observe and report?"

"Yes. Then we act to countermand her, but I rather she burn herself out first and fade away before we have to act. If she goes further then we act to preserve Hogwarts," Harry stated.

"I'll pass that around to the others," Neville said.

Harry sighed. "Be nice if this year is a nice quiet one."

The others just smiled.

Monday morning Hogwarts got started officially. Harry left his room just in time to make his first class of the year, History of Magic with the Dumbledork. Harry hoped that Dumbledork would just concentrate on being a teacher and nothing else. Up to now he had done just that, despite his excessive demands that Harry be turned over to him. In fact Dumbledork had covered subjects that Binns hadn't, and that made Dumbledork look better. He was sitting in his chair behind the desk watching people come in while sipping tea. The bell rang and the door to the classroom closed. He called roll, and then stood up. Harry wondered what he was going to say.

"Good morning to all of you, and welcome to fifth year History of Magic," he began. "This year we shall study a number of people who stood up and fought back against insurmountable odds and won. We shall take a look at what it was they did to encourage other people to stand forth and defend their beliefs and freedoms."

Harry suddenly wondered if this new direction was due to what Umbridge had said at the dinner Friday night. Was it possible the Dumbledork had seen past Umbridge's words and saw he for who and what she was? Harry had the sudden feeling that this might turn out to be an interesting year after all.

Next Episode: Professor Umbridge


	6. Professor Umbridge

Ninja Wizard V 06

By David

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and crew belong to JK Rowling. I'm just borrowing them.

Author's Notes: These marks '[ ]' indicate Japanese spoken

Ninja Wizard V 06

'Professor Umbridge'

Harry pondered Dumbledore's lesson that morning as he sat at the Ravenclaw house table having lunch. Harry wondered if Dumbledore was trying to send a message out to everybody, and if he was, what was he trying to say? Snape had been in rare form that morning. The first potion of the year was something called the Draught of Peace. Harry made every effort to follow what Snape had written on the board but wasn't able to due to all of the colored fumes in the classroom and had blown the third line of the instructions completely. Snape had given Harry a hard time over it and used Evanesco to clean out Harry's cauldron, leaving Harry in a not so good mood. Harry finished lunch and went out into the grand foyer seeking solitude. He went up the stairs to the Defense Against the Dark Arts floor and sat down in an overstuffed chair in a dark corner and closed his eyes. He could hear the whispers going on in the dark, heard the paintings talking, and most importantly, heard the soft whispers coming from Hogwarts. There was no doubt in Harry's mind that Hogwarts was a living breathing sentient being, the magic here saw to that. It was why Harry considered it very important to keep her alive, to protect her from harm, and from those who wished to cause her harm. If the DE's were ever successful in bringing down Hogwarts, the Wizarding world was finished. Harry wasn't about to let that happen.

He opened his eyes when he heard a crowd of people coming into the area where the Defense Against the Dark Arts was. He discretely joined the group of people going into the classroom and he joined Hermione at the desk they normally shared together. The room was a bit bare, an indication to Harry that Umbridge wasn't much of an interior decorator. Harry's attention was drawn to the large blackboard in the middle of the room. On the blackboard, written in very neat cursive writing, were the words defense against the dark arts, and beneath those words was the words a return to basic principles. Harry frowned at that as it indicated to him that something truly was amiss. The classroom filled up as Harry nudged Hermione.

"Check out the blackboard," he said to her.

Hermione turned to the blackboard and silently read what was written there. "This is so not good."

"I agree. But let's give her a chance and maybe she'll show us her grand plan," Harry said.

Hermione looked at Harry. "Simple. Take over Hogwarts and turn it into something that Hogwarts was never meant to be."

"That's not acceptable," Harry said. "Did you get the message that the Dumbledork was trying to say this morning?"

"I did," Hermione said. "I thought he made it very clear. Read our history and find out who it was that stood up for other people and follow their example. Magical history does have quite a few examples of witches and wizards doing just that."

"Let's just see what Umbridge intends to do and we'll go from there. What's been written on the blackboard is an indicator to me as to what direction she wants to go in," Harry stated as he took his seat. "And speak of the devil, here she comes now."

As usual Umbridge was wearing a nauseating shade of bright pink. What made it worse was that her hair was smashed down flat and he had a bright smile on her face while looking at everybody.

"Good afternoon class," she said brightly.

A few people greeted her. She frowned at that. "Let's do try that again, shall we? With a bit more enthusiasm. Good afternoon class."

People shifted in their seats. "Good afternoon Professor Umbridge."

She smiled brightly. "There. So much better."

Umbridge turned to her purse and withdrew her wand, a short stick, and tapped the side of the blackboard. The blackboard erased the message that had been there and started writing a new one. Harry followed the invisible hand that wrote the message.

"Understanding the principals underlying defensive magic. Two, learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used, and three, placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use," Hermione read.

"Now, it is my understanding that you have had shoddy instructors lacking the skill and knowledge to properly teach this course," Umbridge began as Harry slowly simmered. "I am here to correct that. Now, does everybody have the book Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

There were a few mumbles of assent. Umbridge sighed.

"Shall we try that again? Does everybody have the book?" she asked.

Harry could sense the level of frustration rising. "Yes Professor Umbridge!"

She smiled brightly. "Oh so much better! Now open your books and start reading chapter one, page five, please."

She went to sit down. Harry had already seen chapter one. In fact, he had read the book already and didn't get anything out of it. All it was full of was talk about the author's personal opinions, something that bored Harry greatly. He wanted to see the practical stuff but there wasn't any of that in the book. Harry glanced over at Hermione and she didn't look very happy with what was going on. She was staring at the toad. Umbridge ignored her. People in the class eventually started paying attention to what was going on rather than reading a very boring chapter in a useless book. Even Harry wondered what Hermione was up to. Finally Umbridge gave in.

"Do you have a question about the chapter we are reading, Miss…" she trailed off.

"Granger, Hermione Granger. No, but I do have a question about the course aims," she began.

Umbridge sighed. "Your question will have to wait until we are done reading the chapter, Miss Granger. In this classroom, anyone who wishes to ask a question must raise their hand first."

"Well, I would like to ask it now," Hermione said, raising her hand up.

Umbridge glared at her. "We are reading now."

Hermione soldiered on. "I am curious about your course aims. Why is there nothing about using and practicing defensive spells in the classroom?"

People perked up at that one and began to reread what had been written on the blackboard. Umbridge ground her teeth in anger. She managed to control her anger for the moment and put on a sickly sweet smile on her face.

"Whatever for? Do you expect to be attacked in the classroom?" he asked.

"Anything's possible," Hermione said.

"We will be learning about defensive magic in a secure, risk free environment, Miss Granger. As long as you have studied all of the theory you should be able to cast a spell in a situation when needed to," Umbridge smiled.

Harry wanted to rip the smile off her face.

"But the usage and practice of spells in a classroom has always been practical," Hermione argued.

Harry mentally awarded her points for that one.

Umbridge put her hands in front of her and smiled down at Hermione. "Miss Granger, are you a ministry trained educational expert?"

Hermione deflated. "No."

"I suggest you leave the teaching to me, dear. There is no reason to be using defensive magic in my classroom when there is no threat present. Nobody is going to be attacked in here," Umbridge stated.

"What if," Harry spoke up and people listened, "oh I don't know, someone like, say for example, Lord Voldemort comes strolling in here now that he's got a body back and living again, and starts throwing spells around in here?"

Umbridge made a huge effort to control her rage. She looked at everybody. The room was very quiet and people were waiting to see what she was going to say next.

"I wish to address this issue right here and now. The rumors that a certain wizard that has come back to life is just that. A rumor. In fact, this is a lie," she said, and Harry got angry.

"It's not a lie," Harry snapped. "I saw him. I fought him. He's back."

Umbridge turned on Harry. "You suffered a delusional episode during the third task at the tournament due to the stress you were dealing with. He does not exist. He has not returned."

"Cedric Diggory was there. He can confirm what it was that I saw, he saw him too," Harry protested.

"Mr. Diggory has recanted his statement due to the confusion surrounding the third task and has left England to recover from the trauma he received from you during the third task," Umbridge hissed. "This Lord Voldemort does not exist. Anyone who has concerns about these rumors can come see me after class. Anyone having information about people spreading these useless rumors around can tell me in complete confidence and I will deal with the situation."

She turned back towards the blackboard. Harry had heard enough.

"I am not suffering from any kind of delusional episode. I saw the man. I went up against him. He is back. Peter Pettigrew was the one to revive him," Harry snapped.

Umbridge turned to face Harry. Gone was the simpering look from her face. "Detention. Here, my office. Tomorrow night, five o' clock. Now sit down."

"Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you? For all of us sheep to keep quiet about the big ugly wolf sneaking up on all of us. I am not lying. I am telling the truth," Harry snapped, his temper suddenly running short. "I was there. He was there. We had a fight. He is back."

Umbridge went to her desk and picked up a bit of pink colored parchment and wrote something on it. She cast a spell on it and the parchment sealed up. "Mr. Potter, please take this to Madame McGonagall at once. Do not bother to return to my classroom."

Harry took the note from her and left the class. He headed up the stairs to where he knew the headmaster's office was. Harry sighed as McGonagall looked over the note.

"Lord Potter, what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked him.

Harry sat down in his chair. "I'm not sorry for what I said to her. She was accusing me of lying, which I wasn't, and she stated for all to hear that Cedric recanted his story about the events of that night and has left England."

McGonagall leaned forward. "Mr. Diggory did not recant anything. He left England because his father was afraid for their safety. It is my understanding that Mr. Diggory did not want to leave but was forced to. He is very much on your side, as am I. Were you not paying attention to her speech?"

"Yes, I was," Harry said, getting defensive. "The ministry's trying to take over Hogwarts through her. We need to do something about it."

"Apparently Miss Granger wasn't the only one listening then," McGonagall said. "Did you not listen to Professor Dumbledore's class this morning?"

"He talked about studying people who have risen up to fight back injustice in the Ministry throughout history," Harry said.

"I suggest you study them very carefully," McGonagall stated as the bell went. "Now off with you."

Harry stood up and stalked out the door, slamming it as he went. McGonagall just sighed.

Harry went down to lunch. He had the feeling it was going to be a very long year here. Once more he considered pulling out of Hogwarts. He really didn't need to be here, he had adult status due to his Lordship and his having been made an Emancipated Minor. The only reason he was coming here was to learn things about the Wizarding world. Well, that and just to be close to Hermione. She made coming here bearable. Harry looked for her at lunch only to find her sitting at the foot of the Ravenclaw house table. He sat down next to her.

"Are you okay, Harry?" she asked him.

He nodded. "I'm just fine. McGonagall simply told me to watch my temper a bit more."

"My thoughts exactly," Hermione said. "So what did you get out of her class this morning?"

"That she's out to change Hogwarts for the worst," Harry grumbled. "And she's gonna try to make an example of me to get her point across."

"What the others were thinking, Harry. You need to keep a grip on your temper a lot better. I heard from people that she's trying to find out where you sleep at night," Hermione said.

Harry frowned at that. "I bet she's gonna try to plant something on me to get me kicked out of here."

"That doesn't surprise me," Hermione stated.

Harry sighed. "Just means I need to be careful when I go walking round this place."

"I do know that a lot of the pictures are on your side," Hermione informed him. "They're going to inform me of her movements."

"That helps," Harry conceded.

"The Slytherins seem to be a lot more active this year," Hermione continued on. "I've already reported at least a dozen of them to McGonagall for various things.

"Good. Just don't let them get the drop on you," Harry cautioned her.

She smiled. "They can try."

Harry had no doubt that she could take on all of them and win. "Just don't kill any of them. Can't hide all of the bodies round here."

Hermione had to laugh at that one. "I won't, and that goes for you as well."

Harry did his best to look innocent. "Me? Surely you jest, my good lady."

Hermione shook her head as she smiled. Both of them turned to their lunch. Harry had no doubts that what happened in DADA had gotten around Hogwarts as people seemed to be staring at him and Harry could hear the whispers. Once more he had doubts about being here. He simply wished that people would leave him alone and mind their own business. They finished lunch and left the great hall together, Harry wanting to get out of there. It was too cold to go outside so Harry decided to go up to the library and do some reading before his next class. He settled down in an overstuffed wing back chair with a new book, the next book in a series of books that he enjoyed, a series of books about an adventurer who traveled the world and discovered all kinds of amazing things. Harry briefly played with the idea of just simply walking away from the Wizarding World and letting them deal with the Idiot-Who-Must-Be-Named on their own. As it was the Daily Prophet constantly cast doubts on his sanity, calling him a delusional attention seeker. Harry slowly cracked his neck muscles in an effort to relieve some of the stress and pressure he was under. He glanced at his watch and noted the time. The book he was trying to read lay on his lap unopened. He sighed and put it on the small table in front of him and stood up. He headed out of the library and to his next class. People watched him go and started whispering to each other as he passed by. He arrived at the front door to his next class only to find Malfoy there. That, he did not need at the moment.

"Hello Potty," Malfoy grinned at him. "So nice to see you. Causing trouble again? I hear Professor Umbridge had to slap you down this morning. You really ought to respect your betters, and learn your place is beneath us Purebloods as we are the true rulers of the Wizarding World."

Harry bit back his response as it would have landed him in even more hot water now that Malfoy was prefect, something he had learned yesterday. He simply turned his back on the pale blond and ignored him. Harry once more cracked his neck muscles in an effort to relieve the pressure he was under. Before anything else was said, the door was opened and all conversation in the hall stopped. Harry took a spot in the back row so he could be alone with his thoughts. He began working on his current assignment while listening to the teacher lecture about mathematical equations needed to create spells. Harry decided right then to retreat to his flat right after class and make an effort to relax, put on some quiet music and hope that it would help his mood. He managed to get through the class and left the moment it ended and he handed in his current assignment. He managed to shake off Malfoy by going in different directions than he normally did. By now he knew where a lot of the secret passages were and he used them to avoid trouble. The one he used a lot let him out into the hall next to his private flat. Miyamoto closed the door behind Harry.

[Are you okay Harry?] Miyamoto asked as Harry flopped down on the couch and closed his eyes.

Harry sighed. [No. This is getting way too much. I am tired of dealing with all of this. That Umbridge is going to be a major pain, I know it, I feel it in my soul and spirit. We had an argument this morning, and now I have a detention with her tomorrow night.]

[From what I've heard of her, she is bad news. Harry, you need to fall back on the tactical advice of Miyamoto Musashi in dealing with this woman. You need to play her carefully,] Miyamoto advised Harry. [If not treated like the snake that she is, she will win.]

Harry closed his eyes and smiled, treating himself to the thought of being able to take her head.

[No, you can't take her head just yet. If anything were to happen to her, you would be number one suspect. Allow her to place herself in that position and others will do it for you. Go to the detention. She what it is she wants. From there you should be able to come up with a counter to her plans. She means to discredit you in any way she can. Once she is able to do that, you will appear weak to everybody. That is when you wait for the right time to attack and then you will be strong and will be able to overcome your enemy,] Miyamoto said.

[That is good advice, and one I shall heed,] Harry said as Dobby popped up.

"Master Harry?" the little elf looked up to Harry with hero worship in his eyes.

Harry smiled and leaned forward to pat Dobby on his right shoulder. "Hello Dobby."

Dobby beamed brightly. "Master Harry is a great wizard!"

"Thank you Dobby. Glad you are here, I'm hungry. Can you get me some sweet and sour chicken, salad, a pot of tea, and a bag of soft chocolate chip cookies?" Harry asked him.

"Right away Master Harry!" Dobby exclaimed and popped right out.

Harry leaned his head back and smiled at the elf's enthusiasm. A moment later he stood up and went into his bedroom to change into a plain blue kimono to relax in. He went to the stereo in the corner and turned it on. He dropped in one of his many Kitaro CD's and sat back down on the couch. A moment later the soft music surrounded him and started having an effect on him. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes and let the soft music take control. Dobby popped back in with the requested items and left. Harry started in on his dinner. The evening was off to a good start.

Flitwick nodded to Harry as he entered the great hall for breakfast the next morning. Harry was feeling much stronger this morning but he maintained he appearance of looking haggard, drawing comments from people present. Umbridge smirked at him triumphantly and Harry nearly laughed. She was taking the bait perfectly. He took his usual place at the end of the Ravenclaw table and had breakfast. His first class of the day, double charms with Flitwick, allowed him to further his appearance of being weak as he sat down in his seat in the back of the classroom. Flitwick looked concerned but didn't approach Harry as there were people around his desk. He tapped his wand against his lectern and the class settled down. From there the day went forward. From double charms Harry went to lunch for a two hour break, and then to double potions where Harry managed to avert a major disaster. Harry had barely turned around when something in his mind screamed danger and he had turned around just in time to see something flying towards his cauldron. Harry lunged forward just as Snape was bringing up his wand to stop the unknown item. Harry barely brushed the item with the tips of his fingers, but it was enough for him to check the trajectory of the item into a new path away from the cauldron. It struck the lip of the cauldron and bounced away. Harry closed his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. Harry stumbled backwards and sat down hard in a chair behind him.

"Who is responsible for this?" Snape snarled as he held up the offending item. "If this had gone into the potion, it would have caused a very nasty reaction. The potential for a number of you to be hurt would have been astronomical. I demand that person step forward immediately!"

Nobody said anything or stepped forward. Snape glared at all of them.

"Very well. We shall continue the lesson. When the class is over all of you with the exception of Mr. Potter shall remain behind until that person confesses. I will not stand for any kind of shenanigans in my classroom!" Snape snarled.

Everyone slowly went back to work. Harry sighed and stood up. He went back to work on his potion and very carefully followed the directions carefully and added the ingredients carefully to achieve his goal of a near perfect potion. At the end of class Snape nodded to Harry as he drew the potion into the flask and handed it in after cleanup.

"Dismissed Potter," Snape growled.

Harry left the classroom and headed up to the R&R to try and enjoy a bit of free time before dinner. He paced back and forth in front of the wall where the room was thinking about Potter's bar. He hadn't been up here in a long while and now he was in the mood. He decided he was going to start coming up here again. He missed playing his guitars. He didn't hesitate to start the session with Metallica's instrumental "Orion" and go from there. Before he knew it the dinner hour started. He went down feeling a little better. He glanced up at the head table to see Umbridge smiling at him. Harry felt an ice cold chill run up and down his spine. There was just too much wrong with that woman, and Harry had the distinct impression that he would be tangling with her quite a few times before the dust settled. He sat down and ordered broccoli beef with snow peas and a salad for dinner. He took his time with dinner, and then left the hall ten minutes before seven. It was time for him to do battle with the Pink Toad as Ron Weasley called her.

Harry tapped on her door right at two minutes before seven. She beamed at him as he walked in. Harry had the feeling that she was up to no good, and when she opened her mouth, she removed all doubt in his mind that she was evil incarnate. He blinked as he stepped into her office. The DADA instructor's office had changed at the instructor's whim. When Professor Quirrel, Moody, and Lupin had the office, it looked just like a teacher's office should with all the appropriate books and items. When the flashy flamboyant Lockhart had it he made it look like a shrine to his alleged greatness. Now it looked like something out of an old Victorian home, all kinds of lacy stuff all over the place. But what really did it was the pink. Everything had been pinked out. Even Umbridge was dressed in something luridly pink. She beamed at Harry.

"So glad you could make it, Mr. Potter," she began.

Harry nodded to her. "Evening."

She pointed to the small table off to the side. It had a small lamp on the table, sitting on a neon pink cloth. Next to the lamp was a roll of blank parchment.

"I took the liberty of setting this up for you, Mr. Potter," she smiled sweetly at him. "You are to be doing lines. I will not tell lies. This is your punishment for spreading evil, nasty, attention seeking stories, Mr. Potter."

Harry felt the fire of anger flare up within him and he worked to suppress it. Now was not the time to fight back. Harry nodded and sat down at the little table. Umbridge smiled sweetly as he took up the quill that was on the table next to the roll of parchment.

"How many lines, please?" Harry asked.

"Until the message sinks in, Mr. Potter. Begin," she snapped as she retreated to her desk.

Harry inclined his head slightly in response and picked up the quill. He started to write, and as he did, felt a sharp stinging pain on the back of his hand. He looked in time to see the words 'I will not tell lies' etched into the back of his hand starting to fade. Harry looked up at Umbridge and she looked very pleased with herself. Harry looked back at the parchment and the words were written in red. Harry instantly knew what he held in his right hand.

"Blood Quill," Harry said out loud.

"Very good, Mr. Potter. Now keep going," she said as she turned back to her desk.

So that's how she wanted to play this. Fine. Harry sighed and slid into Getsumi no Michi and continued to write the lines while blocking the pain effortlessly. Harry kept on going until she stopped him. Harry blinked as he looked up, coming back to the moment. He noted the darkness outside her window. A glance at her clock confirmed the time. It was eleven at night. Harry had been there for four hours.

"Your hand, Mr. Potter," she demanded.

Harry showed her the back of his left hand. It was red and raw looking, and the letters were very slowly fading away. She tutted and shook her head.

"It seems you need to return a few more times until the message is made very clear, Mr. Potter. You may leave now," she said loftily.

Harry didn't say a word. He rose and walked out the door without looking back. He was not about to give her the satisfaction that she had wounded him. As far as he was concerned, Umbridge had drawn first blood in their battle between them. Harry was very determined to win the war against her, no matter what. He would bide his time and wait for the right moment to strike.

Harry examined the back of his left hand the next morning. It had nearly healed up except for a bit of red where the words had cut into the skin. Harry rubbed a bit of aloe vera into the skin and then left the flat. He met up with Hermione down in the great hall.

"Harry," she looked up from the Daily Prophet as he sat down across from her. "How did it go last night with the Pink Toad?"

Harry snorted at the name. "Oh just peachy. She had me doing lines with a Blood Quill."

Hermione's eyes got big. "Harry, those things are illegal! She can't use them on you unless the both of you are signing a contract, and then only in front of people who are authorized to posses or use them!"

"Since when has that ever stopped her?" Harry said. "She's got Fudge backing her."

Hermione reached into her backpack and pulled out a small notebook and wrote something down in it. Harry knew she was documenting it for the record in the event that if they ever found a way to take her down they could produce a lot of evidence against her.

"Well she's got me going back tonight," Harry informed her.

Hermione made a note of that. "Don't forget the essays you need to do for McGonagall and Snape."

Harry sighed. This detention business was going to mess things up for a bit. He pulled his schedule and looked it over. He did have a free day in the morning on Friday. He could do it then as the essays were due by close of the school day Friday. Yeah, that would work. McGonagall's essay would be easy to do. He could have that one out of the way in at least a half hour. Snape's essay would take a bit longer as he needed to do a bit of research on it. Hermione handed Harry a bit of parchment with three books listed on it and where he could find them.

"Thanks Hermione. You're a lifesaver," Harry smiled, the first real smile since the school year had started. "And I love you for it."

"You're welcome Harry. Hang in there, okay? She's not going to be here forever," Hermione said.

Harry agreed with that.

By the time Friday night rolled around, Harry was ready to strangle the Pink Toad. He had managed to get his work done and handed the essays in prior to five o' clock. McGonagall thanked Harry for his, glancing at the white bandage round his left hand. By now it had become raw to the touch and had developed a very angry red color. The rumor mill was going overtime with talk about what was going on with Harry. Harry kept it confined to Hermione and she kept on documenting everything going on between Umbridge and Harry. Harry was certain it would end tonight. One way or another.

"Good evening Mr. Potter," Umbridge greeted him at the door to her office.

Harry barely nodded to her as he walked into her office, taking in the small table with the Blood Quill waiting for him. Umbridge took his left hand in hers and brought it up for inspection, seeing the white bandage. She unwrapped his left hand finally exposing the damage to the back of his left hand.

"You may begin," she ordered him.

Harry turned to sit down at the small table, took up the Blood Quill, and began. The pain kicked in after fifteen minutes of writing. Still Harry kept on. He glanced up after the first hour and saw her smirking at him. That was the breaking point for Harry. He put the Blood Quill down and then reached for the white bandage he had with him. He wiped off the back of his left hand, clearing away the bloody mess. He laid his left hand down on the table flat and then picked up the Blood Quill. Umbridge blinked.

"Mr. Potter, what are you doing?" she asked.

Harry didn't answer her. Instead he began to write directly on the back of his left hand the words 'I will not tell lies'. Umbridge jumped up, going pale as she saw what he was doing.

"Mr. Potter!" she shrilled, now scared. "Stop! Stop this instant!"

Harry slowly lifted his head to look at her when he finished the line. The look on his face scared her completely and she stumbled back as Harry rose up to confront her. She drew her wand and pointed it directly at him. Harry stopped once the tip of her wand was between his eyes.

"So I'm spreading evil attention seeking stories, do I?" Harry whispered softly as he took on a demented look. "So I'm an evil brat who's losing it because I claim to have seen a dead man rise once more? Am I fucking evil? You and your buddies in the ministry keep telling lies to the Prophet about me on a daily basis, trotting out all of these so called experts that you pay a lot of gold to get them to tell the world just how fucking demented I am."

Harry raised his left hand, now curled into a fist. He looked at the bloody mess on the back of his hand and raised it to his mouth. He slowly licked the back of his left hand clean as Umbridge stared in horror.

"Am I demented? Am I evil? Yes, yes I am, because you keep making me look that way by telling lies about me to the people," Harry said softly as Umbridge trembled in fear. "Oh look, I have a bit of space to add another line for you."

Harry used the Blood Quill to cut another line underneath the first line on the back of his left hand, snarling and looking demented as he did so.

"There. All done. Look how pretty it is. I did it just for you," Harry breathed out.

"Please leave, Mr. Potter. You're done here!" Umbridge cried out, trembling in fear.

Harry leaned in and smiled a very evil smile. "One more thing before I go. You are to address me as Lord Potter, or have you forgotten that little fact? Perhaps I should make you write lines with your own Blood Quill, Umbridge. I will address him as Lord Potter."

She huddled in the corner of her office. "GO!"

Harry left, slamming the door on his way out. He took his time in going back to his flat. He encountered Peeves in a hall and glared at the poltergeist for a moment. Peeves shivered at the look on Harry's face and immediately changed directions. Harry grinned and kept on going until he got to the stairs. He debated on going up to the top of the North tower where the Astronomy class was held and just sit there for a bit, but changed his mind and headed back to his flat. He just wanted to sit down and rest. He had come so close to losing his temper with the woman, and managed to barely control it. He knew now that Umbridge would be watching him carefully from that point on, looking for anything she could use against him. He knew Hermione would not like this once she found out about it, and not just her, McGonagall would have a few words for him as well. Harry sighed as he turned into the hall where his private flat was. A few of the pictures nodded to him and he knew it was safe for him to go into his flat.

[Good evening Harry,] Miyamoto said as he walked in.

The door closed behind him and he sat down on his couch and sighed. He related to Miyamoto exactly what happened up in Umbridge's office. Miyamoto frowned.

[This is not good, Harry. She could use this against you,] he said.

Harry went into the kitchen. [And reveal her actions against me?]

Miyamoto thought about that for a moment. [She could find a way to spin things her way.]

[There is that,] Harry said as he made tea. [People are already speculating about the bandage around my left hand.]

[So I have heard. My friends have told me of what is being said. They also report that she is creeping round a lot more than a teacher would,] Miyamoto said.

Harry took his cup of tea back to the couch and sat down. [Trying to get something on somebody so she can turn them into her spy.]

[That thought has crossed my mind,] Miyamoto said. [Even more reason to be careful of this woman. I fear you may have pushed her a bit too far tonight.]

Harry sipped his tea, feeling the hot liquid run down his throat. He relaxed and concentrated on feeling the heat moving through his body. He liked that feeling.

[Well, we will have to wait and see what happens next,] Harry said. [Be nice if someone tossed her off the North Tower.]

Miyamoto chuckled at that. [Oh yes, heard a rumor that Ronald Weasley is trying out for Gryffindor keeper tomorrow.]

Harry reacted to that. [He is? I'll have to go down and watch.]

[Let me know how that turns out,] Miyamoto said.

Harry raised his cup of tea. [I shall. I'm off to bed.]

[Rest well,] Miyamoto said.

He watched Harry heading into his bedroom and then departed to go visit some friends.

Harry gave the appearance the next morning of being really tired as he headed down to breakfast. He ran into Ron on the stairs and nodded to him. "I hear you are trying out for Gryffindor Keeper now that Oliver Wood's gone."

Ron beamed. "Yeah! I figure I've got a good chance at it thanks to all of the games during summer break back home with the twins."

"Good of you," Harry said. "You wouldn't mind if I come down and watch you?"

Ron shook his head. "No I don't. Be good of you to."

"The only advice I can give you is to be very alert. Try to follow the quaffle as much as you can."

Ron nodded as a few of the Gryffindors nodded. "Good advice, Harry. Thanks!"

Harry smiled slightly as Ron continued on down to breakfast. Hermione caught up with Harry in the grand foyer.

"That was kind of you to say that to Ron," she said.

Harry nodded. "Just helping out a friend."

"Are you going to be there?" she asked.

Harry sighed. "Sure. I told him I would. I'm also going to the Ravenclaw tryouts, too. Gotta show my house support even though they're trying to stab me in the back."

Some of the Ravenclaws that walked past Harry heard that and they seemed to be a bit embarrassed by that. They continued on into the great hall and Harry knew that would get around Ravenclaw House fairly quick. Malfoy's smirking face was the next to pass him by, the ugly pug Pansy clinging to his arm. Harry sighed and turned to Hermione.

"If those two ever get married and have kids, I'm leaving England," Harry sighed.

Hermione had to giggle at that. "Well, time and events in one's life does have a tendency to change them, so that might not be so bad."

Harry shook his head. "We'll see about that. Oh, I've been meaning to ask you, how's your Dad doing?"

"Really good. He's bounced back well after all of that business. Everybody that he knows was under the impression that he'd been sick with something serious. When he felt good enough to go back to work, he made it a point to go to his doctor for a full examination and submitted the results to the dental board and they cleared him to go back to work. So he's back doing what he likes to do," Hermione said.

Harry smiled. "Now that's good news. Shall we go in?"

They walked in together and sat down at the foot of the Ravenclaw table. The Daily Prophet was delivered by an owl and Harry opened it up to see what was going on. Other than Fudge grandstanding and the daily poke at Harry, there wasn't much in the paper. He handed it to Hermione and she had her turn at it. Not much was said between them as they ate. The bell rang a few minutes later, and the school day was under way.

Harry sat in the Ravenclaw stands at the Gryffindor tryouts, waiting for Ron to do his thing. He'd never seen Ron's keeper skills, but if he said the twins had more or less trained him for the spot then Ron had a great chance of getting in. He sipped a bit of tea out of his travel thermos mug and watched the Gryffindors arrive. They started with a few simple stretches and then staged a broom race. Ron ended up in the top ten, eighth place. That was a good start. Harry knew from experience the Weasley Twins were unpredictable as beaters and quite often had the chance to handle the quaffle and that gave Ron an edge over the new people. Hermione sat down next to him.

"Number eight in the broom race," Harry said. "Placing in the top ten is a good sign."

Hermione nodded. "Now if he can do well when his turn comes up, he's got it made."

"I am curious if the Gryffindors are going to use the whole team to try and trip him up," Harry said.

Hermione leaned back. "If the twins stuck him there at keeper during their pick up games during summer holiday at home, Ron has a better than good chance of making it."

"I'd ground the twins for that exercise," Harry said.

Hermione glanced at Harry. "So would I. The twins might make an effort to make it easy on him."

They watched the tryouts advance until it was time to test the applicants for keeper. The twins made a show of going over to their bench and sitting down and Harry nodded at that.

"They benched themselves?" Hermione gasped.

Harry nodded. "They did the right thing by taking themselves out. Good men, both of them."

They turned their attention back to the goal rings and watched. Ron's turn came up after five of the applicants failed miserably. He moved back and forth between the goals and watched the team flying round the pitch, and it was obvious to Harry he was watching the quaffle. Suddenly the team came swirling in and attacked. Ron went to work blocking the goals using every move he possibly could, from using feet to kick the quaffle away to using the tail end of the broom to knock it away. Out of ten possible shots, not a one made it in. Harry grinned as the twins and Ron celebrated.

"Too soon yet, Ron. Three more gotta try," Harry said out loud.

The last three took their place and out of the three, only one had a perfect run defending the goals.

Hermione hissed. "You can do it Ron."

Ron took his broom up and did several fly by's in an effort to calm down. He took his place at the goals and once more the team rushed in and attacked, this time a bit faster and blocking each other from telegraphing their moves. The last throw of the quaffle was a near thing, Ron's left fingertips just barely grazing the quaffle, but it was enough to change it's course by inches. It bounced off the rim of the right ring. Harry sighed a breath of relief while Hermione cheered loudly. The other applicant got up there and worked just as hard as Ron did, but a sneak move that the team had pulled off on Ron got in. Ron was the new Gryffindor keeper. Harry smiled and nodded at Ron before leaving the stands. He was glad that Ron had made it in. Now the team would work him a bit until he was well attuned to the post. Harry walked across the grounds up to the great doors and inside. He debated on going into the great hall for hot tea or going back to his quarters for the cup of tea. Watching a growling Malfoy walk into the great hall made up his mind for him. Harry stepped into the shadows and used a secret passageway that took him up to the hall where his flat was. The door refused to open for a few minutes and then popped open. Harry went from that door and through the open one to his flat. That door closed behind him. Harry hung up his heavy outer cloak on the coat tree and turned to find Dobby setting a teapot on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Thank you Dobby. You're a good friend," Harry said.

Dobby beamed joyously. "You're welcome Master Harry!"

He popped out and Harry sat down to enjoy the tea. He relaxed for a bit and then took the next cup of tea to his desk where he spent the next few minutes writing letters to Sirius and the family.

The first real sign of trouble came the next morning when Harry discovered a tiny little blurb about a Sturgis Podmore trying to break through a top security door at the ministry at one in the morning. According to the blurb, he refused to say why he was there and got six months in Azkaban for it. Harry put down the paper and Ron snatched it up and read it. Ron had joined Hermione at the tail end of the Ravenclaw table. Luna had joined them as well.

"I know this bloke," Ron said a moment later. "He's a part of Dumbledore's group. I've seen him there quite a few times."

Hermione frowned at that. "Why on Earth was he doing there?"

"Looking for something?" Luna ventured.

Harry scratched his chin. "Wonder if he did it on the Dumbledork's orders?"

"What's behind that door?" Hermione wondered.

Ron looked up. "Paper doesn't say. Just says a top security door."

Harry slowly cracked his neck. "Curious, said the cat."

"That's Hermione's line, mate. A possible weapon?" Ron wondered.

Luna got a funny look on her face. "Something involving Harry and the dimwit?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to smile at that.

"Who knows?" Harry said. "But I have this very dangerous feeling about that."

Something in the back of Harry's mind was whispering, urging him to be ready for anything.

Next Episode: Percy's letter, Harry and Sirius meet, and the High Inquisitor.


	7. Loyalties

Ninja Wizard V 07

By David

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and his friends. JK Rowling has that pleasure.

Author Notes: These marks [] indicate Japanese spoken. These () indicate bird speak. I do hope that 2018 will be kind to all of you, and my resolution is to get back on track with Ninja Wizard.

Ninja Wizard V 07

"Loyalties"

Harry settled down in a seat in the Ravenclaw stands to watch their tryouts. A part of him longed to be down there among the applicants to try out for the Seeker's position, but due to his current situation, that wasn't possible. Being without a house hurt, but if that's how they wanted to play it, fine. Harry no longer felt any loyalty to the Ravenclaw House even though he continued to wear the Ravenclaw patch on his cloak and school robes. He decided it was time to rethink that. He turned his attention to the group down there and watched as they conducted their tryouts. Nearly all of last year's players came back and there were two new people who joined, a new second year taking over at seeker. Harry continued to sit there until the Ravenclaws began leaving. He stood up and started back to the castle. As he entered the tunnel to leave the stadium, a number of people stepped out of the shadows and blocked his path out. Harry relaxed and felt himself go calm.

"Hi," Harry spoke up first. "You guys put together a good team for the year. The seeker you chose had some very good moves."

Kyle Henderson, the current prefect for Ravenclaw House stepped forward. "We want the patch back as you aren't one of us anymore."

Harry nodded. So they finally decided to kick him out. Harry knew that this would happen sooner or later. Harry brought his wand up and tapped the Ravenclaw patch on the left side of his heavy winter cloak and it came loose. Harry looked up as the rest of the other Ravenclaw patches arrived. They joined the one in his hand and Harry handed them over.

"There you go," Harry said.

Henderson took them from Harry and turned his back on him as well as the other Ravenclaws. Harry shrugged his shoulders and went around them and continued on to the castle. He wasn't surprised that they would do this as he had expected them to do it for some time. If that's how they wanted to play this, it was fine by him. He would continue to show his loyalty to Hogwarts as he always did.

"Where do your loyalties lie?" Hermione asked him that evening.

Harry set down his teacup. "The Potter Family and associates, The Yamada Clan, Hogwarts and certain personnel, The Granger Family, you, and my friends. I don't give out my loyalty freely or easy."

Hermione wasn't surprised by that list. "And you shouldn't. Loyalty is not something to be given away like it was a cheap toy."

"And yet some people do," Harry said. "I truly wonder what kind of game they are playing or are they hoping to be well rewarded like Malfoy Senior is doing with the Idiot-Who-Must-Be-Named."

Hermione sighed. "It would be like him to gain the big prize from him and then wait for the right moment to take him down and then take his spot and try to declare himself the supreme ruler of all."

"Just like Malfoy Junior," Harry said.

Hermione groaned. "Oh please. He's trying to curry favor with his daddy to get the right to play with himself, if he's capable of it."

Harry roared out in laughter as Hermione smiled. Even Miyamoto had to smile at that one.

"Is he the little boy who struts around like a Peacock?" Miyamoto asked.

Hermione and Harry laughed at that one. Harry refilled Hermione's teacup before refilling his. He leaned back against the couch.

"He is," Harry replied.

Miyamoto sniffed. "Arrogant little pup, isn't he? I'd love to knock him down a peg or two."

"You and about half of Hogwarts," Hermione said. "I hope I'm the one who knocks him down."

Miyamoto shook his head. "No, he'll do that to himself all by himself. No need for you to get whatever dirt he's got on him onto you, and besides, you're much better than that."

"I agree with that," Harry said. "So leave him be, Hermione. Best thing you can do is to ignore the little sod. He's got too many people holding his hand."

Hermione grinned at that one. "That he does."

Silence descended on the room as they gazed into the fire in front of them. Hermione snuggled up closer to Harry and he put his right arm around her. He felt relaxed with her there. This felt so right to him and he knew now without a doubt in his mind that they belonged to each other. He smiled and sighed contentedly. This was how life should be, two people together and the world firmly locked outside. Miyamoto nodded as he watched the two of them together.

"I hate to ruin the moment, but Hermione has fifteen minutes left. There's two members of Slytherin poking around in the hall outside, so Hogwarts is going to let Hermione out of here in another direction," Miyamoto said as a section of the wall opened up.

Any doubts Harry had about Hogwarts vanished. "Thank you."

They stood up and kissed goodnight. Hermione stepped into the hall Hogwarts created and the wall slid shut. Harry turned back to the couch.

Harry showed up for breakfast the next morning as he usually did. Anyone who cared about such things about house loyalties was looking at his school robe to see if he still had the Ravenclaw patch were surprised to see it missing. Instead of the house patch, Harry was wearing the Potter Family patch on his robe where the Ravenclaw patch should have been. Harry chose to sit at the very back end of the Gryffindor House table and asked for coffee as he usually did. The owl from the Daily Prophet found him and delivered the morning paper. Harry gave it a bit of bacon and a bit of water as he usually did to any owl that delivered to him. The owl nodded to him after accepting his hospitality and flew off. Hermione joined him a moment later. "Good morning, Harry. Anything interesting in the paper this morning? I did some research this morning in the library. You are not the only student here that had been kicked out of a house. Hogwarts: A History records at least a dozen students that got kicked out of a house for various reasons. But they stayed on and out of that dozen eight of them went on to make names for themselves."

"I should have a look at that," Harry said. "I wonder how Professor Flitwick will handle the news of Ravenclaw taking my patch."

Hermione sighed. "Oh I'm sure he'll take them to task over it. He does respect you a lot."

Harry nodded. "I do like him a lot myself. He's earned my respect."

Harry glanced up as more owls arrived, carrying mail to various people. He decided to dash off a couple of quick letters later in the day to advise people.

"Where's that ministry owl going?" Hermione asked suddenly.

Harry looked up to see the owl swoop down low over the Gryffindor table and drop a letter in front of Ron. Hermione turned to Harry.

"A letter for Ron from the ministry?" she asked. "Wonder what they want with him?"

Harry sipped his coffee. "I'm willing to bet that it's from Percy. You know he's working for them now."

"I thought they would have kicked him out after the tournament fiasco," Hermione said.

Harry nodded. "I agree with you there. Seems like someone spoke up for him and he was able to keep his job there. But you can bet they will be watching him very carefully."

Hermione and Harry looked over at Ron and saw the look of distress on his face. Harry wondered what Percy had said in the letter to make Ron react like that.

"Must be something bad," Hermione observed as Ron passed the letter to Fred.

Fred read it and then passed it on down to George, who read it and then passed it down to Ginny. All three looked pissed off.

"Uh oh," Harry shivered, "it looks like they are about to go to war on somebody."

Hermione turned back to Harry. "I'm sure it's nothing."

Harry hoped Hermione was right.

Ron, George, Fred, and Ginny cornered Harry just before lunch, and from the expressions on their faces, they were clearly upset about something. They slid into a side room hoping nobody noticed them and the door closed behind them. Dobby popped up and served them lunch and then popped out again. Ron handed Harry the letter he'd gotten that morning. Harry began reading it between bites of his lunch. By the time he was done reading it, he knew which way the wind was blowing in regards to him. He put down the letter and picked up the large mug in front of him.

"I always knew that Percy thought so highly of himself but he's really done it this time. I'm sorry guys, but Percy has gone over to the enemy," Harry said.

"All of us already have dressed him down for walking out on us, from Bill to me," Ginny said. "You should have heard what he said to Mum and Dad."

"Not very nice words, I can imagine. You wouldn't mind if I hex his arse to hell and through it, would you?" Hermione asked.

Ginny laughed. "Oh please do. I'll help."

Ron looked at Harry and shivered. "You should see her Booger Bat Hex. Scary."

Harry smiled. "Always knew Ginny was capable of something good like that."

That got a laugh. Harry leaned back as his mind worked on the letter.

"However, dear Percy was most useful. He gave away information a bit too freely. A big announcement tomorrow. Umbridge stepping up? McGonagall stepping down? I find that a little hard to believe. Umbridge having trouble with us? She needs to look at herself in the mirror as she's the one causing the trouble. Dumbledork leading a crime family? I find that very hard to believe, especially since my parents were involved with them in the first war with jerk off. I'll grant you the fact that there are two or three questionable people in his order, but that doesn't make them a crime family. When a government fears the people, there's something very wrong. Dumbledork got taken out by me for the simple fact that he was stealing from me. I'm starting to wonder if someone planted the evidence for the goblins to find and hoped I'd act on it. If Dumbledork had dirty hands, he should have other people handling things for him. The problem with that is he would have to share the wealth with others. Guys, it's your decision to keep up the friendship with me or not. I won't blame you guys if you decide to walk away from me. If all of this is going the way I think it will, I think it's time we started laying some serious plans. Somehow I get the feeling that Hogwarts is gonna be under siege before long, and not necessarily from the ministry," Harry said.

Ron leaned forward. "You think he… is going to attack here?"

Harry's eyebrows furrowed as he got a serious look on his face. "I do. Think about this. The ministry falls. Where is the Magical world going to look to for help?"

"Hogwarts," Hermione breathed.

Fred nodded. "Naturally. Didn't Dumbledore once tell people that Hogwarts stands to help those who ask her for it? If they take the castle the Magical world falls. Then they will come out of the shadows and expose us all to the muggles. That would really disrupt the world as we know it. Hogwarts must absolutely prevail. We cannot let it fall."

Harry looked up at them. "Then we need to start preparing for the war that is sure to come. We can't wait for the last second to do anything. We need to find a place to base from, and it has to be here on the grounds. It needs to be large enough for people to move around in. Large enough to make and store potions. Kitchens, bathrooms, an infirminary, and so on. I need you guys to step up on your current assignments. What I really need right now is someone to step up and plan a defense of Hogwarts. Any suggestions?"

Fred, George, and Ginny immediately looked at Ron. Ron blinked at the sudden attention.

"I don't know anything about planning defense!" Ron protested.

Harry smiled. "Yes you do. What is the purpose of chess?"

"To out think your opponent," Ron replied.

Hermione nodded. "You're constantly planning and plotting moves around the opponent."

"Watching him carefully to see what he's doing," Ginny followed up.

Fred leaned back. "Moving pawns to block."

"All the while using your big guns to trap and take the prize," George nodded. "You can do this, Ronnikins. You can do this."

Ron slowly nodded. "Okay. I accept the challenge."

Harry leaned back. "Good. I need all of you to work together. I will be doing other things and trying to track down Him-Who-Must-Be-Named. It's going to come down to us in a final confrontation, and it's not going to be a gentleman's duel either. He's gonna play dirty any way he can."

"I don't like hearing that," Hermione said. "I don't want to lose you."

Hermione had finally dragged her darkest and deepest fears out into the open. Harry turned to her and took her hand into his.

"Baby, you're not going to lose me," he said. "I'll be just fine. I have to do this. I have to stop him. If it's not me, then who?"

He wrapped his arms around her and spent the rest of lunch holding her close.

Harry sat down and wrote letters to people in the know that night. He leaned back in his chair as his mind worked on the current problem being Umbridge. She was definitely shooting for McGonagall's job and attempting to turn Hogwarts into something it shouldn't be. He sipped a bit of tea and sighed as he put the problem away for the night. Harry sat there for a time until he started nodding off. A moment later he was asleep.

 _Harry found himself at the front doors of the castle. He pushed on the doors and they creaked open. Stepping inside the first thing he noticed was the silence. It was way too quiet. Hogwarts was normally a very noisy place, but at the moment it was deathly quiet. He moved forward and when he cleared the doors they closed behind him. He turned around just in time to see them close. He turned back towards the stairs and wondered just where to go. He decided to go into the Great Hall and see if there was anyone in there. He pushed open the doors and to his relief saw people in the hall. Nobody reacted to his coming into the great hall. All of them stared down at the tables in front of them. Every one's faces were ash grey with black rings around their eyes. Harry blinked at the sight of the banners that hung in the great hall. All of them had a skull on them with a snake coming out of the left eye socket. He knew instantly it was Voldemort's banner. He reached for his wand as he traversed the hall up to the head table. All of the teachers and staff were sitting there with the same expressions on their faces. Harry approached the head table and leaned on it._

 _"Lady McGonagall?" he whispered to her._

 _Her head snapped up and in a feral snarl on her face lashed out at Harry. "You failed," she hissed, causing Harry to stumble backwards._

 _Harry misstepped and fell backwards, landing on the cold stone floor. Voices from everybody filled the hall, snarling at Harry._

 _"You failed," they snarled, slowly closing in on him._

 _Harry managed to get to his feet and tried to push past them, but they blocked his path. Harry moved, his arms going up and over his head in an effort to protect himself._

 _"NO!" he shouted._

Harry snapped to, jumping upright in his chair. Miyamoto looked at Harry from the small picture on his desk as Harry hyperventilated.

[Harry-san! Calm down! You're safe here!] Miyamoto shouted.

Harry turned to the picture on his desk, and Miyamoto could see the wild look in Harry's eyes.

[Harry. Take a breath. Calm down. Relax,] Miyamoto said, trying to get Harry to calm.

Harry closed his eyes and took a breath. A moment later he was on the grounds of his castle. He immediately assumed the meditation position and relaxed. He felt a peaceful feeling come over him and he welcomed it. He relaxed as the calm peaceful feeling washed over him. Harry brought up the nightmare in front of him and studied it from every angle until he was satisfied that it had been a nightmare, nothing more. He stood up and walked to the gate on the edge of the property, where the head of his guard bowed to him as Harry left.

[Journey well, my lord,] the man bowed.

Harry nodded. [Thank you my friend.]

Harry opened his eyes to find Dobby there. Dobby handed Harry a cup of tea and Harry took it. He drank a bit of it, feeling the heat moving through his hands. He finished it off and then set the cup on the desk and leaned back. Harry turned to Miyamoto and told him about the nightmare he had. Miyamoto listened for a time.

[This will never happen, Harry. You will never let this come to pass,] Miyamoto said.

Harry nodded. [I won't. Too many lives are at stake. Voldemort must be stopped, or people will suffer.]

[Then you must let your friends organize things as you need to devote all of your time in stopping him. Our brothers and sisters have encountered him last night,] Miyamoto said.

Harry looked up at the larger painting. [Did they stop them?]

[They did, and in the process gained more information. It seems he is after something in the place called the Department of Mysteries,] Miyamoto said.

[The Dogfather must know of this,] Harry said.

Miyamoto grinned. [Ah, but he does. A full report will be on your desk in the morning.]

Harry sighed. [Thank you. I wonder if that's why that Sturgis Podmore fellow was trying to go before he got arrested. That's the second time that place has popped up.]

Harry frowned at that. [Just what is that place?]

Miyamoto sighed. [I don't know. Never been in that place. Don't have a picture to go to there. I'll chat up the other pictures for information.]

Harry immediately turned to his desk and dashed off a quick note to Sirius. [If anyone knows about that place, it would be Sirius. Being an Auror he's able to go places inside the ministry that other people can't. I have a bad feeling about that place.]

[I wonder what's in there that he's willing to get other people to go in there for,] Miyamoto said.

Harry leaned back and sighed. [I'm sure we will find out before long. I'm gonna go to bed.]

[Rest well,] the old Samurai stated.

Harry stood up and went into his bedroom.

Harry woke up three hours later and noted the time. Six in the morning. Harry stood up and stretched, feeling things popping in his body. He took care of morning business first before heading into his gym down inside of his trunk. He spent the next two hours putting in a hard workout. He hit the shower and dressed. He decided to go down for breakfast. He met Hermione, Ginny, and Ron in front of the doors leading into the great hall. Harry glanced up at the high table to see Umbridge smirking.

"Something's wrong with that picture," Harry said to his friends.

Hermione glanced up at the high table. "I have a really bad feeling about all of this, Harry."

Ginny nodded. "We'll find out before long."

They sat at the foot of the Gryffindor table and ordered breakfast. The mail owls flew in just as Harry finished his breakfast. He looked for the Daily Prophet owl and gave it leftover bacon and water before it flew off. Harry opened the paper and blinked at the oversized headline.

"Ministry Seeks Educational Reform," he read out loud. "Delores Umbridge Appointed First Ever 'High Inquisitor'."

Jaws dropped. Harry read the rest of the article and then handed it over to Hermione. His mind went to work on what he had read. He looked up as Hermione passed the paper to Ginny. He remained silent until Ron had finished reading the article.

"So that's what our deal loving ass kissing 'brother' was referring to in the letter to Ron!" Ginny exclaimed. "What do we do now?"

Fred and George joined them. "Good question, fearless leader."

Harry frowned at that and then related the nightmare from last night. Hermione reached out for his hand and took it into hers.

"It's just a bad dream, Harry. Never gonna happen. Just a reaction from all of the stress you've been going through of late. Go and do something fun this afternoon. Go fly," Hermione suggested.

Harry thought about that for a moment. "Okay, I can do that. I need to do something fun. The rest of you go do something fun too. We'll meet later and discuss things."

With that, they started the day.

Harry stood on top of the Astronomy tower and reached out with his senses to make sure nobody was around to see him change. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he stepped up on the edge of the tower and did a perfect swan dive off the top. Halfway down he relaxed and pictured the Peregrine Falcon in his mind. A moment later he had completed the change and spread his wings wide to catch the air rushing past him. He did a gentle swoop back up into the sky and turned in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. Oh yeah, he really needed this! Harry glided on the updrafts enjoying the thrill of flying. He felt his spirit and soul react to the pleasure of flying. If it was possible for a bird to smile Harry was doing it. Harry relaxed for a bit before starting some flying stunts and enjoying it. Eventually he tired out and came to rest in the branch of one of the many trees surrounding Hogwarts.

(Very nice, Harry. Your flying skills are improving nicely,) a familiar voice said.

Harry turned to see Fawkes sitting to the right of him. (Hi Fawkes! Haven't seen you of late.)

The phoenix shrugged his shoulders. (Oh I've been around. I've traveling around seeing different places ever since I left Dumbledore. I understand that there's somebody new here.)

(There is, and she's causing major trouble,) Harry said, and filled Fawkes in on everything.

Fawkes frowned at the mention of Harry's nightmare. (Harry, you will never fail because you have a lot of people behind you, and they will help you in everything. You're not alone. As for the Umbridge woman, she'll fall flat on her face sooner or later. She'll tick off someone and she'll be gone.)

(Be fun to give her that last little nudge before she falls off the bridge,) Harry grinned.

Fawkes sighed. (She can do that all by herself, Harry. No need to add fuel to the fire.)

Harry preened his feathers for a moment as he watched people walking around the grounds. (Getting cold already, and it's only the end of September.)

(Why I've been getting around before winter,) Fawkes said. (I really don't like flying in winter.)

Harry nodded. (Shouldn't be a problem for me as I do have enough cover to keep me warm.)

Fawkes turned to Harry, a smile on his face. (Let's race.)

Harry perked up. (Oh you're so on!)

Both of them launched out into space at the same time, opening their wings to start the race. They headed for the North Tower, rounding that and headed for Black Lake. Reaching the lake they turned right to head back into the forest. They weaved through the trees and came out of the other side of the forest back out over the lake. They turned left, heading back towards Hogwarts. They twisted and turned their way through the now quiet halls of Hogwarts and then headed back up towards the open sky. The Astronomy Tower was the finish line. Both of them hit the stone right at the same time. Both of them turned to the other, laughing.

(That was fun!) Fawkes said as Hermione approached them.

(We gotta do that again sometime,) Harry said as Hermione gently petted the both of them.

Fawkes cooed as Hermione scratched him under his chin. (I love this girl, she knows just how to scratch just right.)

(Sorry to disappoint you, but she's mine,) Harry informed him.

Fawkes nodded. (I know. Both of you are right for each other. Don't let her get away.)

(Never!) Harry stated.

Fawkes hopped to the edge of the tower. (Be well, Harry.)

(And you,) Harry said.

He watched as Fawkes took off. He turned back to Hermione and hopped down to the floor of the tower. He relaxed and pictured him returning to his human form. A moment later he was grinning at Hermione. She leaned forward and kissed him.

"Feeling better, love?" she asked him.

Harry nodded. "I do, thanks for asking. Did I miss anything?"

"I haven't seen the others yet. From what I've been able to figure out Umbridge is now able to inspect all of the classes to see how things go," Hermione informed him.

Harry groaned. "Like that will go over well with the other teachers. I can see a revolt brewing."

They stood up and headed down into the castle. Hermione reached into her bag and handed Harry his robe. He pulled it on as they descended the stairs towards the great hall for dinner. Ginny, Ron, Luna, and Neville walked up to them before they walked into the great hall.

"Rumor has it that Flitwick is the first to be inspected tomorrow," Neville said. "I heard that from a friend close to him."

Harry sighed. "Great. We have his class first thing tomorrow."

"Flitwick has always been consistent on his lessons, teaching the things we really need to know. He's going to cover the common household spells tomorrow," Neville stated.

Luna smiled as she leaned against Neville. "She cannot win, there are too many nargles in her brain."

Harry, Hermione, and Neville smiled at that.

"That she does," Hermione agreed.

Harry sighed. "The best thing I think we can do is to document everything she says and does and when the time is right we act. File some kind of grievance against her with the ministry."

"I like the part about documenting her actions, but as to filing some kind of complaint against her, well, that might not work if she has something on Fudge," Hermione said.

Harry rubbed his face. "That's the chance we have to take. For now we watch her."

The bell went, signaling the start to the day.

First class of the day was DADA. Harry briefly considered skipping the class and then decided not to. Umbridge would use that against her. Once everybody settled down into the classroom, Umbridge made her appearance. She beamed at the class and Harry suddenly felt sick.

"Good morning children!" she said brightly. "Now that we have finished chapter one, we shall continue with chapter two. Put your wands away and commence with chapter two, it talks about common defensive theories. There will be no need to talk."

She went to her desk and sat down, ignoring Hermione as she was waving her hand in the air. Harry slid down in his seat and groaned. He had hoped that Hermione wouldn't start something this morning. The room was silent for all of ten minutes before Hermione got up in a huff and walked up to Umbridge and stared at her. Umbridge continued to ignore her for another ten minutes before breaking down and looking at Hermione.

"Yes Miss Granger?" she said coldly.

Harry couldn't see Hermione's face but knew what she was doing.

"I've read chapter two already," she said.

Umbridge smiled sweetly. "Good for you. Read the next chapter then."

"I have. In fact, I've read the entire book," Hermione announced.

Umbridge reacted to that, a look of surprise crossing her face. "Really? Then perhaps you can tell me what Mr. Slinkhard say in chapter fifteen."

If Umbridge was trying to upstage Hermione, she was wrong.

"Counter jinxes. He was discussing counter jinxes and how people misname them when they want to make them sound more acceptable, and I disagree," Hermione started.

Despite herself, Umbridge looked impressed. Harry sat up at that one. Trust Hermione to make a bold statement like that.

"You do?" Umbridge asked slowly, giving Hermione an opening.

Hermione shifter her position. "Yes I do. Mr. Slinkhard doesn't like them, does he? They can be quite useful when the situation calls for them to be used."

"I see," Umbridge said as she stood up, her face taking on a hard appearance. "However, it is Mr. Slinkhard's opinion that matters here, not yours. So therefore I am deducting five points from Gryffindor for your disruption of my class, Miss Granger. You are to return to your seat."

"But," Hermione began.

Umbridge crossed her arms in front of her. "The ministry has instructed me to teach you what it is they approve and not invite students who know very little of what is to be taught here. Now sit down or you will be given a detention!"

Hermione growled and retreated. She sat down with her arms crossed as she glared at Umbridge.

"Thank you Miss Granger," Umbridge smiled sweetly and resumed her seat.

Harry sighed. He had the feeling that it was going to be a long year.

The news was running rampant round the hall during lunch about Umbridge inspecting Trelawney's class and Grubbly-Plank's class. Trelawney had bombed out rather spectacularly while Grubbly-Plank had passed. Malfoy and his buddies had been very helpful where Hagrid was concerned. Umbridge did ask where Hagrid was but the only answer she had gotten was that he was away at the moment. Malfoy and his buddies took opportunity of the situation to bad mouth Hagrid any way they could. Harry knew nothing good would come out of that knowing Hagrid as he did.

"Hagrid might as well just stay away as she will be all over him if and when he does return," Ron stated. "What he thinks is cute and cuddly is actually damn dangerous."

Ginny sighed. "Malfoy did make a big deal out of the Hippogriff attack on him last year."

"He provoked it," Harry said darkly. "Then went crying to his dear daddy and Malfoy senior nearly had it killed if it hadn't escaped."

Hermione leaned towards Harry. "We all know it was you that helped it."

"Sirius said it was the best ride he's ever had in his life," Harry grinned. "He made sure Charlie in Romania got it. Charlie changed it's looks a bit and gave it a new name."

"Good for him," Ginny grinned. "My favorite brother."

Ron frowned at that. "Hey! I thought I was your favorite brother!"

Ginny turned to him. "Sometimes, when you do something great."

The group laughed at that as Rom pretended to act wounded. Harry sipped his coffee and wondered who was next on Umbridge's hit list. The bell went, signaling the end of lunch. Harry followed Hermione up to McGonagall's class and was surprised to see Umbridge sitting in a corner. Ron nudged Hermione and she glanced at Umbridge. She glanced at Harry and he gave her a slight nod. He hoped that McGonagall was ready for her.

"McGonagall vs. the Umbridge," Rom said to Harry once they were in their seats. "I got galleons on McGonagall taking a strip or two off her."

"Not even going to touch that bet cause it's a fact," Harry said as he sat down. "I heard a story that McGonagall is capable of breathing dragon fire."

Ron and Hermione cracked up at that one. They turned to the front when McGonagall made her appearance. She glared at everybody and got total silence.

"Thank you. Now…" she began.

Umbridge interrupted her. "Hem hem."

"Yes?" McGonagall glared at Umbridge, daring her.

Umbridge actually shrank back a bit, and then inflated once more. "I am curious if you got my little note about being here to observe."

"I have," McGonagall snapped, "otherwise I'd be asking you why you are here."

Umbridge immediately fell silent as McGonagall turned back to the class. "Now, we are to discuss a difficult form of the vanishing spell…"

"Hem hem," Umbridge began.

McGonagall turned on Umbridge, a cold fury on her face. I wonder just how you can understand my teaching methods when you keep interrupting me, Miss Umbridge. I usually do not allow any kind of talking in my class!"

It was obvious to everyone her Scottish temper was firing up to near dangerous levels. Harry began considering taking cover behind his desk. Umbridge smiled sweetly and shut up. McGonagall glared at her for a few minutes more and then turned her attention back to the class and launched into her lecture, complete with a demonstration and then calling on Harry and a few select students. Umbridge sat there quietly and continued to take notes until the end of the class. As everyone was leaving the room, Harry glanced back to see Umbridge approaching the desk and seeing the glare on McGonagall's face before the door closed.

"Oh my…" Hermione said.

Ron was laughing with joy as a few of the other students were celebrating.

"That was entertaining," Harry said. "But it's going to take a lot more than McGonagall to stop her."

Hermione nodded. "I agree. It will have to be something major to knock her down. But what?"

"Fate is a pissed off gorilla in his cage when you start throwing stuff at him, and Umbridge is doing that very well on her own. We just have to wait and watch until the time is right, and then we act," Harry said. "We just need to be patient."

"Dinner is in an hour. Meeting in the library?" Hermione asked.

Harry rolled his neck and got the neck muscles to pop a few times. "I do need some information for Snape's essay, so yeah, let's go there."

Ron's eyes lit up. "Umbridge vs. Snape?"

Harry snorted. "No contest there. He'll use her for potion ingredients."

"That I'd pay good money to see," Ron stated. "I'll even hand him the knives."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, I bet you would. Come on, I need to finish this essay."

Harry hoped a trip to the library would help.

Harry wasn't in the mood to go back to the library after dinner so he went up to the Room of Requirement as he wanted to relax a bit. He paced back and forth a few times in front of the wall where he knew the entrance was thinking about playing guitar in Potter's Bar. A moment later the door opened and Harry went inside. The others decided to join him so they scattered around the room, Fred and George going to the pool tables as Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ginny, and Luna took seats at a table. Harry knocked back a shot of sake and went to the stage where the band of skeletons were waiting.

"Hey boss," the bass player nodded. "What you in the mood for?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Let's start off with some Clapton and see where that goes."

He picked up the black Gibson and tuned up. He did a bit of noodling, playing chords and noted without any definite direction and then started in with Clapton's "Badge" and went from there. He left the vocals to one of the other skeletons and just moved around the stage as the music moved him. The others got up and danced a time or two, Ron lost a few more galleons to Fred and George, Neville and Luna moved to a back corner and sat on the couch and snuggled up together, Ginny came up to the stage and did a song or two, Hermione and Harry joined in with her, and then did a duet together. The evening ended when Brud, the bartender slapped the bell a few times.

"Curfew in twenty," he called out.

Harry returned the Gibson to the stand. "Thanks Brud. See you later."

"You got it boss," he nodded. "Outside's clear."

They left the room and headed down. Harry walked Hermione to the front door of Gryffindor tower and kissed her goodnight. He watched at the Fat Lady closed the door behind her and headed off to his flat via a secret stair in an abandoned classroom. Miyamoto greeted Harry as he walked in.

"Mail in your box," he reported.

Harry headed to his desk and sat down, opening the mailbox and taking out his mail. There was the usual statements from the Goblins, the Potter investments were up, Paddington Farms profits up, and "Gerald Wilson" was doing very well. He read letters from Sirius, Lupin, and his family. Lots of action and plenty of new information, but nothing about the Department of Mysteries. Harry sighed and leaned back in his chair. He wondered briefly just how far Umbridge was going with this High Inquisitor thing. He was sure he'd find out.

He settled down in History of Magic the next morning in his usual spot in a back corner as other people walked in. Today he was without Hermione and his crew, something he didn't mind as the Dumbledork had been leaving him alone. He had been doing what he was supposed to be doing, teaching and leaving Harry alone. Even the Goblins had reported that Dumbledork hadn't been in contact with them over Harry and that made Harry wonder what the old man was up to. Dumbledork made his appearance as he normally did, looking relaxed. Just as he was about to call the class to order, the door opened once more and Umbridge walked in. Harry closed his eyes and groaned. He had been having a great morning up to now. What Dumbledork did made him sit up and blink.

"Miss Umbridge! How delightful to see you this morning!" Dumbledore smiled as he went to her. "I have reserved a desk for you over here."

He led her to a desk that was off to the side, giving her a great view of the room. Umbridge blinked at him, and she looked like she had been knocked off balance.

"Do have a seat," Dumbledore said.

Umbridge sat down still looking at Dumbledore in shock.

"Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?" Dumbledore asked her with a smile on his face.

Now Harry really wondered just what the old man was doing.

"We have been discussing some of the most interesting names in magical history, those who have made great contributions to Wizarding society," Dumbledore said as he moved back to his chair and sitting down and turning to face Umbridge. "Magical history is just full of great people."

From there he went on to talk about the great names in history and what they did. Umbridge's eyes took on a glassy look as Dumbledore droned on. It slowly dawned on Harry just what he was doing, and that was to bore her to death. A few of the other kids in the class caught on and they added to the discussion, helping Dumbledore with his lecture. Harry had to grin at the old man as Dumbledore glanced at Harry, getting a slight nod. Harry's attention was captured by the slight motion of the old man's hand underneath his desk. He was using magic to cast spells on Umbridge! Harry wondered just what the old man was casting on her and hoped it was good. Dumbledore was doing what three quarters of Hogwarts wanted to do, hex the woman good. Now Harry was keen to see what he had come up with.

Finally the bell rang signaling the end of class, snapping Umbridge out of her stupor. She stood up and gathered up her things.

"Thank you Professor Dumbledore, that was quite… interesting. I will let you know the results of your inspection," she called out as she rushed out of the classroom.

Dumbledore grinned as the class filed out of the room. Harry followed them out and caught up with Umbridge on the landing. He stopped at the sight of Umbridge. Her hair had turned into a huge puffball, green with pink spots. He pink cardigan had turned blue with red and purple spots. She turned to face Harry, and she looked like she had a ton of makeup on her face, like she had applied everything on with a hand trowel. She smiled brightly and headed down the stairs until she stopped at the laughter that had started. She opened her mouth to say something and then croaked like a toad. That was enough to crack up everybody. Even the paintings were rolling on the floor laughing. She got angry and stomped her feet, croaking loudly. McGonagall appeared out of nowhere.

"Really, Delores, you should dress better than that. We have to uphold to higher standards if we are to teach," she sniffed at Umbridge.

Umbridge croaked a few times more, and then McGonagall pointed to a nearby mirror. Umbridge stomped up to it, looked into it, and let out a scream that Pomphery later said she could hear clear into her office, and ran off much to the enjoyment of the students who witnessed the scene.

Harry had to give Dumbledore credit for that awesome prank.

Next Episode: Resistance Starts


	8. Resistance Begins

Ninja Wizard V 08

By David

Author's Notes and Disclaimer: These marks [] indicate Japanese spoken. These marks () indicate animal speak. Harry Potter and related characters belong to the great JK Rowling. I'm just borrowing them for this fic. Enjoy!

Ninja Wizard V 08

"Resistance Begins"

Things slowly began to spiral out of control. Umbridge continued to inspect the teachers and staff. Nobody was learning anything in DADA. Harry took to wandering the halls as he pursued the current problem in his head. There were quite a few things he needed to work out in his head. One thing he did know for sure, and that was Umbridge was out to upset the balance at Hogwarts. The ministry was upset about something and for them to send someone like Umbridge here made Harry wonder just what it was. Harry sat down on a bench in a secluded alcove and leaned against the large window behind him. He closed his eyes for a few minutes and let the warmth of the sun warm his back as he worked on the problems in his head. He rejected everything that popped up, nothing seemed right to him. He stood up and continued to walk in the direction he was going in. Harry wasn't paying any attention to where he was going until he happened to glance up and saw the door to the girl's bathroom that he knew Myrtle the ghost haunted. He suddenly froze as an idea popped up. What if…? What if he could use the Chamber of Secrets as a base for the school resistance when the time came? That idea prompted him to enter the bathroom. He hadn't been down there in some time and now he needed to get down there and see if he could establish some kind of good will between him and Salazar Slytherin. If Harry could do that it would give him the place he needed to start preparing for what he knew deep in his mind would be a battle to save the Wizarding world.

He entered the bathroom. It was quiet in there at the moment. Harry knew that guys couldn't be constantly coming in here due to the fact that this was the girl's bathroom and that it did get some use despite the fact that Myrtle haunted it and that she was a bit on the emotional side due to the fact that she was a ghost. Harry decided to make an effort to not die in a bathroom. He headed to the sinks and located the tap with the snake on it. Once he established friendly relations with Slytherin, he'd ask for a better path in and out of the cave than the bathroom. Once he established at least two different routes in and out of the bathroom, he'd come back and scrape the snake off the faucet, closing that route down for good. Harry stared at the tiny snake and hissed to it.

(Open), he hissed.

A loud clanking noise started up as Harry stepped back. The top of the sinks floated upward and then two of the sinks split apart to reveal the entrance. Harry looked down into the dark hole and remembered the slimy slide he had gone down on. Harry pulled his school wand and cast the cleaning spell down into the hole and hoped it wouldn't vanish the slide or it would be a very fast trip down. Harry climbed down and sat at the top of the slide.

(Close), he hissed, and the two sinks came back together, the top of the sinks coming down to seal it all up tight.

Harry moved, and the run down the slide began. He lay back and crossed his arms over his chest and relaxed, trusting in his magic to protect him as he traversed down the slide. It wasn't long before the slide gently curved into a flat length and Harry came to a stop. The cleaning spell had worked on the slide, but not the rest of the area. Harry sat up, checked himself over, and then stood up. He pulled his Potter wand and used it to clean the immediate area of all kinds of debris. That done, Harry set out.

As Harry walked towards where he knew was the bridge, he suddenly wondered if he was going to have to fight all those imps and other things again. Without even thinking about it, his ninja suit flickered into existence, Tetsusaiga on his back. Now he felt a bit better. He became aware of what was going on as he stepped through the doorway into the room where the bridge was. He conjured up a bit of rope and a triple pronged hook in the event he needed to save himself from the collapsing bridge. He started across it cautiously. He got to the halfway point and steeled himself for what he knew would be the bridge collapsing, but to his surprise, it didn't.

"I wonder if that's because I defeated the chamber's traps?" Harry asked himself.

Harry stepped across the halfway point and still nothing happened. Harry didn't relax until he got off the bridge completely. Harry moved forward and still nothing happened. His theory of nothing happening because he had defeated the place was holding true.

"Wow, I guess I'm the master of this place now," Harry said out loud.

Harry stood down and the rope with the triple hook vanished. He didn't relax completely, anything could still happen. Harry started walking, now taking the time to look around as he went. He wondered just how Slytherin managed to carve out this place with his magic. Must have taken him some time and effort. Harry knew that doing things through magic was easy, but it depended on what the task was and where you were doing it at. Something this big had to have taken Slytherin time to do as it had to have been a drain on him and he was teaching magic to kids at the time he created it. Something he wanted to ask if he met Slytherin at the end of the trail. Harry paused for a moment to get a drink of water from his bottle and to study the snake heads that had spit fire when he arrived in the gate room. The detail on the snake heads were quite sharp and well done, right down to the colors. Harry rubbed one of the snake heads, feeling the cold stone underneath his hand. He wondered how long it took Slytherin to create them and marveled at the cunning way he used them to protect the massive stone gate in front of Harry. Harry suddenly realized the snake heads weren't spitting fire and that cemented his theory of becoming the master of the chamber when he defeated the traps three years ago. Harry grinned as he walked up to the gateway. Getting in here was going to be easy. Convincing Slytherin into letting him use the chamber as a base for Hogwarts defense would be something else.

Harry gazed at the huge circular stone in front of him and noted the snakes and how they used their bodies to be the locks that secured the door. The only way in is to find somebody that speaks snake, and he seriously doubted that Fudge would find somebody that did because the talent was so very rare. As far as he knew, only two people could do that and they were The-Idiot-That-Must-Be-Named and himself. Harry knew that nobody in their right mind who had the talent would step forward and tell the Ministry that they spoke snake. They'd be locked up in a heartbeat. Gazing at the door, Harry relaxed and then hissed the command that would open the door. He watched in fascination as the stone snakes came to life one by one and moved out of their place, unlocking the door. The door slowly creaked open once the last snake had moved. Harry stepped through the door and walked into the huge room, pausing at the top of the steps. He looked around the room and noted it was big enough to fly brooms around in. He smiled at that and then went down the steps entering the room. Harry stood in the middle of the room and slowly turned around, getting an idea of how big the room was. It could easily handle nearly all of the students and staff in the school. Harry guessed at the size of the room. It had to be lots bigger than the great hall, and that room was pretty big to begin with. One side of the room could be set up as a guys dorm, the other as the girl's space. Bathrooms with showers would be a necessity, along with a kitchen. Harry wondered if he could set up something with the Hogwarts house elves to keep people down here supplied with food. Harry turned once more. There was more than enough space to set up a couple of training areas.

"Welcome back, young warrior," the smooth mellow voice said.

Harry turned in time to see Salazar Slytherin slowly appear in front of him. Harry pulled his Potter wand back into the holster as he relaxed.

"Very good reaction, always ready for anything. A good warrior is always alert and ready," Slytherin said as he smiled.

"My name is Harry Potter," Harry introduced himself.

Salazar bowed. "I am honored to meet you, Mr. Potter. What brings you down here?"

Harry told him about everything that was going on. Salazar frowned.

"This is not good," he said. "A government attempting to force a school to teach what it is they think should be taught and not what the teachers think they should teach is one to be feared. One of the things the four of us did when we set up this school was to ensure the ruling body of the day left us alone by enacting an agreement between us. We would assist them from time to time if they would leave us be and allow us to teach what we believed to be very important to our students. So what is it that Hogwarts teaches now?"

Harry told him of all the classes that were taught and Salazar nodded.

"I am glad to see that the core classes are still being taught, good for your teachers. I do disagree about divination, there really is no need for that one unless there is a student who has the gift. Not having an exercise class is doing all of you young people a disservice, a strong body means a strong magical core," Salazar said.

Harry nodded. "Something you and I agree on. I make it a point to work out in my trunk every morning before starting my day."

Harry then described his physical training routine and Salazar nodded as he smiled.

"Oh very good, Harry. Well done. Learning other fighting skills is important as there might be a time when you might lose your magic temporarily and then how do you continue the battle? You have given yourself an advantage over the enemy by learning those skills. Keep working on them," Salazar said.

"The reason I'm down here is to establish some kind of base in the event Hogwarts gets attacked by a dark lord who calls himself Voldemort," Harry said, and then told Salazar the events of the last twenty years up to now.

Salazar nodded as he pulled at his beard. Harry had an idea.

"Sir, is it possible to leave an empty painting down here so other paintings can come down here and visit you? I have a very trustworthy friend who can act as a go between us, pass relevant information and such," and then told him about Miyamoto and his current situation with Ravenclaw House.

"Yes of course," Salazar said. "I would love to have someone to talk to again. It does get lonely down here."

Harry smiled. "Thank you. I think the both of you will get along with each other just fine."

"Very good. Now there are some things I would like to show you," Salazar smiled.

Harry followed Salazar towards the large statue.

Harry sat in his flat, his mind processing all of the information that Salazar had given him during his visit down there. Miyamoto watched Harry for a moment and then shifted his position, getting Harry's attention. Harry leaned back on the couch and looked up at his friend.

[The others are coming], he informed Harry.

Harry nodded. [Good. Please let them in when it's safe to].

Dobby appeared a moment later, loaded down with refreshments. He set them down on the small coffee table in front of Harry. Harry smiled at the elf.

"Thank you Dobby, you're a good friend. Is there anything you need to report?" Harry asked.

"Evil Umbridge planning something bad," Dobby said. "Master Harry must beware of her."

Harry leaned forward. "Thank you for that, Dobby. Please keep me informed if you can."

Dobby nodded eagerly and vanished just as the front door opened, letting in Harry's friends. Hermione walked up to Harry and kissed him as she hugged him. Harry could see the twins grinning as they took their seats. Harry sat down on the couch and Hermione sat down with him. Harry sighed, gathering up his thoughts. Then he informed everybody of his trip back down into Salazar Slytherin's underground chamber and what he'd had seen down there and discussed with Salazar.

"So Miyamoto has agreed to be a go between us once I set up a painting down there for him to go into," Harry concluded.

Ron scratched his face and then spoke up. "I'd like to go down there and have a look around myself. I'd like to see what kind of space is there and do some planning."

"Very possible, once another route in and out of there has been established. Can't use the third floor girl's bathroom, as people would get suspicious if us guys were seen going in and out of there," Harry said."

"I'd like to see his library," Hermione said.

"You can, once he's got the safer books set up for you to look at and read," Harry said.

Luna spoke up. "I find it interesting that he can't come up out of there."

"There must be some kind of spell that's keeping him down there," Ginny stated.

"Either that or he doesn't want to come up," Hermione said.

Ron put down his soda. "Or it was his personal choice not to."

"His being there gives us an advantage as we can draw on his knowledge to help us when we need advice," Harry said, "and that's a good thing."

"It is," Hermione said. "But we need to solve our immediate problem of Umbridge."

Harry sighed and leaned back. "So how do we do that?"

"By forming our own defense class with you teaching it," Hermione said in a rush.

Harry turned to look at her. "And how do we do that? Who's going to lead it?"

"You will, and we set up a meet with interested students at the Hog's Head during a Hogsmeade Weekend. I've taken the liberty of chatting up a few people who are very interested," Hermione said.

Harry closed his eyes and let his head go back as he exhaled sharply. Harry knew that Hermione could be impulsive at times but he didn't think she'd go this far.

"Should have talked to me first, love. When is the Hogsmeade Weekend?" Harry asked.

According to the school schedule the first Hogsmeade Weekend was scheduled for the middle of October. Harry realized it was this weekend coming up. Had that much time gone by already? Amazing where the time goes when you're not paying attention to it.

"Sorry, Harry, but that… woman finally pissed me off badly yesterday when she talked down to me," Hermione said.

Umbridge had when Hermione had challenged her once more and then threatened to kick her out of the class for good and then told the class she would do the same to any student that dared to challenge her.

"Okay. Just how many people are we talking?" Harry asked.

"About… twenty?" Hermione said softly.

Harry rolled his neck, crunching his neck muscles. "Okay. Have you even thought this out at all?"

"I have, Harry," Hermione said, getting braver now. "I thought we could use the R&R room as it's magical capabilities can give us what we need. Leave Salazar's room to us until the time comes for us to need it. Ron can set up an office and use it to plan his defense, I can use the library to research the Horcrux thingies… Oh! Salazar can help me with that!"

Harry sighed. "Something I forgot to mention to him. Next time."

"I've set up an enchanted scroll that everybody has to sign to protect the defense class and keep it secret, a very nasty curse will happen if we are to be betrayed by anyone, and there are a few of us that can help teach once Harry introduces the spell that needs to be learned," Hermione kept going.

Ron looked at Hermione and nodded. "Yeah, you got the bases well covered there."

"Okay, let's do the meet at the Hog's Head and see where that goes. We definitely have our work cut out for us to keep this club under wraps, and that means keeping the staff and teachers completely in the dark, even McGonagall. I do have a lot of respect for her, but what she doesn't know will protect her in the long run," Harry said.

George grinned. "And the rebellion begins."

Harry had to smile at that. "Yes it does."

The meeting broke up on that note.

Harry took an empty canvas down to Salazar's place the next morning, early. Salazar smiled as Harry returned the empty canvas back to original size and hung it on the wall in the library. A moment later Miyamoto appeared in it. Salazar smiled.

"A Samurai Wizard. How very interesting," Salazar said after the introductions were made. "A lesson here, Harry. Magic does not discriminate against people, it simply is a gift bestowed upon people and must be used wisely as this Voldemort fellow has chosen to use it for his own ends. I look forward to having many discussions with you, sir."

Miyamoto bowed. "As do I. You are very right about Magic being a gift and one that should be used to help those in need."

Salazar turned to Harry. "A new path in and out of this chamber has been established as the one in the girl's bathroom is simply too dangerous to be used. You need to remove the snake from the faucet so that entry is closed for good."

"I'll see to it first chance I get," Harry said. "Hermione is over the moon about getting the chance to look at your library."

Salazar smiled. "I look forward to meeting her."

"We'll come down first chance we get," Harry promised him. "For now I need to get to breakfast."

Harry followed Salazar to a corner of the library where a normal looking door was.

"The door appeared here this morning," he said. "I believe with all of my being that Hogwarts is very much alive and works to provide the Wizarding world a safe place to be."

Harry nodded. "I agree with you on that. It's gonna take a lot to overcome her."

Harry looked at the door and then turned back to Salazar. "I am curious about something. How is it you can't leave here?"

"I died in here, Harry. I'm not like other normal ghosts. Myrtle is one that can't go anywhere as she died in that bathroom, especially in that toilet stall. She could break away here and there, but she has to stay there as she is firmly tied there. I am firmly tied here, I cannot go anywhere. I am used to it by now, but after a few centuries one can go nuts if they don't have someone to talk to. Bringing Miyamoto's painting down here was a great kindness on your part, thank you Harry. Now off you go," Salazar motioned to the door.

Harry turned back to the door and opened it. He stepped through into a room filled with interesting things. The door closed behind him and vanished when he stepped away from it. Harry walked right back up to it and it appeared again. Harry grinned as he watched it disappear again after backing off.

"I love magic!" he declared.

He turned to look round the room and realized it was the one he had stepped into a time or two with Hermione for a bit of privacy. Harry looked back at the blank wall.

'Gonna have to introduce everybody to that door and set up a password on it' he thought to himself before leaving the room.

Harry casually blended in with people as they headed into the great hall for breakfast. He took a spot at the far end of Gryffindor House table. His breakfast appeared along with today's copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry glanced up at the head table to see the normal complement of staff and teachers there. Nothing unusual there. Hermione sat down next to him and reached for the paper.

"Morning love," Harry smiled at her.

Hermione beamed at Harry. "Morning Harry. I'm so glad you're taking this so well."

"Well, somebody does have to teach the practicals, and it isn't her," Harry nodded towards the head table, where Umbridge sat proudly with her nose in the air.

"Pride goeth before a fall," Hermione said.

Ron sat down on the other side of the table and nodded. "Fortune, fame, mirror, vain, gone insane. Isn't that what you said to us once before Harry?"

"It is, and I'm glad you remember that. Mission accomplished, we have a new way in and I'll show everybody later," Harry said. "I need to remove the snake from that place later."

Ginny sat down next to Ron. "I was in the third floor girl's bathroom this morning, and something must have happened because I had a very strange feeling. When I went to the sinks, I checked each faucet very carefully and I didn't see any snakes on them."

Harry eyebrows rose. "Interesting. Talk later."

Breakfast got started as the plates began to appear. Harry decided on tea this time as he had coffee up in his flat before leaving. Hermione turned to the paper and began pursuing it as she always did. The twins huddled together with a bit of parchment obviously plotting something. Ron was reading the sports section, checking the Quidditch League scores and statistics. Hermione put the paper down and started in on her breakfast as Harry picked it up and started his reading. He didn't see anything significant other than a few changes of personnel in the Ministry. Harry put the paper on the table and turned to his cup of tea and finished it. Then he stretched, feeling things pop in his body. They sat there just killing time before they could go to the front doors for departure at nine o' clock. Harry noted a few people drifting out of the great hall and knew they were lining up to leave. The clock in the great hall struck nine and Harry nodded.

"Time we were off," he said.

He held out his hand to help Hermione and she closed up his heavy winter cloak with a smile.

"Don't forget the warming spells," Ron advised everybody as he passed by. "Supposed to be real cold out there today."

They joined the crowd going out the doors to the main doors. Filch was standing there ticking names off a list as he usually did. Harry nodded to him as he passed him. Filch just looked at him with a scowl.

"He's a happy chappie this morning," Ron quipped as they left the castle.

The twins laughed at that one. A moment later they cleared the castle.

Hermione and Harry paused for a moment to look out over the grounds. Everything was covered in white except for the paths that went to various places on the grounds.

"Wow," Harry breathed, "it's beautiful out today!"

It was. The snow lay on everything like a massive blanket, the icicles hanging off the trees and the castle eaves. They turned to watch a group of first and second year go racing past out onto the open field and start playing in the snow. Before long there was a row of snow people while another group had gone further out and had created space for snowball fights. Harry noted in the distance several large snow banks that was perfect for snowboarding and he grinned.

"I know what Harry's doing later!" Ron laughed.

Harry grinned at Ron. "Oh but of course!"

The others laughed and they continued their journey down to Hogsmeade. Harry began to think about what he was planning on saying once the meeting started. He decided on some general comments and then going from there, depending on what would be asked, and he knew somebody would ask about the return of Voldemort. He nodded to himself as the group passed through the gates. Harry turned his attention to Hermione and noted that Fred and George had gone alert.

"Okay. Just say a few things as it was you that approached people to get this thing started and then I'll step in and take it from there. If it seems like things are starting to get out of hand, step in and use your best argument to get things back under control. Just how many people did you invite to this meet?" Harry asked.

"At least twenty I thought could be approached, most of them from our class," Hermione said. "I even talked to some of the Slytherins, or tried to. Wanted to be fair. Didn't get much of a chance."

Harry sighed. "You tried, love. Better than nothing."

They came up to the top of the rise and there was Hogsmeade spread out in front of them. They could see a bunch of the students from Hogwarts walking round the main street. They started down the hill into Hogsmeade as a few of the much younger Hogsmeade kids took off on their sleds going down the hill. Harry smiled at a memory.

"Did a lot of that back home," he grinned. "There would be a contest among us younger boys as to who got a lot of air, how we rode the sled, how far we went, and what kind of stunts we did."

They paused for a moment to watch one kid fly up into the air off a snow jump and then land inside a piled up snow bank. They continued on into Hogsmeade.

"Meeting first, or walk around until then?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded resolutely. "Meeting first."

With that, they headed to the Hog's Head Inn.

Harry looked it over as they approached it. It definitely had seen better days. The Three Broomsticks looked a lot better than this place. The fact that it was located down a small side street away from the main avenue told him something. He hoped this wasn't a mistake as he approached it. Feeling misgivings, he entered the place with his friends behind him. The inside was even worse. It was dark, smelly, dirty, and all of the furniture looked shabby and secondhand. There were three or four people in there and they glared at the group of teenagers standing there. Hermione went up to the bar.

"Can we use your meeting room for an hour please?" she asked rather timidly as the bartender looked rather imposing.

He glared at her for a moment and then pointed in the direction of where it was. Harry and the others followed her in that direction. The room they went in had long table and benches. At least they had a place to sit. Harry sighed and hoped this would go well.

"Well, this is it," Hermione said.

Harry sighed once more. "I hope this goes well."

Two kids walked in Harry didn't recognize. He knew now it was far too late to back out now. Before long the room was filled up with at least twenty five people. Hermione nodded and then stood up.

"Hi," she began, "I want to thank you for showing up and giving up a bit of your time to be here. We'll try to be brief so all of you can get back out there. One question to get this started. Do any of you think you're learning anything in DADA?"

There was a lot of head shaking no.

"If we wanted to learn from a book, we'd read them on our own time," a voice spoke up. "It's how to be doing it I'm interested in."

There was a lot of agreement to that.

"That and being able to pass the DADA OWL'S, right?" Michael Corner challenged.

Hermione nodded. "That's part of it."

People nodded to that.

"I want to be able to defend myself because Lord Voldemort's back," Hermione said, and people reacted in the way he knew they would, getting all worked up.

"Che [damn]," Harry swore. "Why are you people so afraid of a name?"

Nobody could give him an answer.

"Yes he's a right proper bastard and he needs his butt kicked badly, but there's no need to be afraid of a name and he's got people so worked up that they are afraid of him. Strip away his followers, the stories about him and all that's left is a little bully who wants attention so badly and to be able to rule the world he does what he can to make people afraid of him," Harry continued.

"Just because Dumbledore says he's back doesn't make it so," a blond teenager said. "What makes you and Dumbledore so damn sure the bloody wanker's back?

"Because Harry told us," Hermione defended herself.

Ron immediately got into the boy's face. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

The blond boy got back into Ron's face with clenched fists. "Name's Zachary Smith, bub. You got a problem with me? Where the proof that he's back? All you have is Potter's word on that, and it's gonna take a bit more than his word to prove it. I ain't gonna follow some crazy bloke without proof."

Cho Chang appeared out of nowhere. "You stupid blockhead. You forget Cedric was there too."

Zach turned on Cho quickly. "Oh? So why is your golden boy in hiding? Why did he run off like a scared little girl?"

"I can answer that one," a calm confident voice said.

People turned to see Cedric leaning against a table, a drink in hand. Cho immediately brightened up and ran over to him. Cedric smiled and set his drink down on the table and took Cho in his arms.

"Hang on a tic, got something to do first," Cedric said and then kissed Cho.

Harry smiled as he felt the love coming off the both of them. Hermione snuggled up to Harry and sighed. Cedric and Cho broke apart a moment later. Cedric then turned his attention to Zach.

"First off, what you said to my friends Weasley, Potter, and Granger was fighting words. I got no problem knocking you down on your worthless ass little boy. We're not here to fight over that particular issue which is what that bloody wanker wants. As my girl just said, I was there too," Cedric said, glaring at Zach.

Zach backed down. "Okay, let's hear it."

Cedric sighed and picked up his beer. He drank a bit and then turned to the crowd. "The trophy in the middle of the maze was a portkey. Harry and I reached it at the same time. Harry and I actually stood there and argued over who was to take the trophy. Either one touched it, it was a Hogwarts win."

Harry nodded to that. "So on the count of three, both of us grabbed it at the same time."

Cedric picked up the story. "We landed in a graveyard Merlin knows where. I landed on my arse knocking my head against a tombstone and I lost my wand. Harry moved in front of me as the ugliest baby I've ever seen in Peter Pettigrew's arms told him to make sure the spare – me, was dead."

"Pettigrew's dead," Zach crossed his arms in front of himself.

Cedric smiled and shook his head. "What the ministry wants you to believe. Too bad you didn't bring a pensive Harry, we could have played our memories for this retard."

Zach snarled and stepped forward. Cho whipped her wand out and aimed it between his eyes. Zach immediately backed down.

Cedric continued on. "Harry fired off the first shot and Peter managed to protect himself. The baby jumped out of Peter's arms and managed to crawl to the other side of the cauldron while Harry and Peter were fighting it out. Harry was doing great, so I started looking for my wand and found it just a bit beyond the trophy. I crawled to it very slowly while the fight was going on. My head hurt badly and I was seeing double. Anyone's who gotten a good knock on the head can relate to that."

He paused for a moment for another drink. "Then fate, the kindly old bitch she is, did Harry a dirty deed by making him slip on a tiny pebble and Peter tied him up to the tombstone, making it even more important to me to get to my wand. Pettigrew drops the baby into the cauldron and starts the fire, starts chanting some weird poetry about renewing somebody, takes powdered bone from the guy in the grave underneath Harry, chops off his own hand making me get sick, and then takes Harry's blood and pours it in. Big bright colored light and smoke, and suddenly there he is. Voldemort."

People in the room jumped once more making Cedric sigh. "Good Merlin, get a hold of yourself, gee!"

Harry rolled his eyes upward and sighed. Yeah, the Wizarding world had a long way to go.

"How did he look" someone challenged.

Cedric sighed. "I've seen pictures of him once before. Definitely a face of a snake, bald, green colored skin, and red eyes. Yeah he looks like a scary snake and even more reason why he needs to be sent back to hell where he belongs. He used Peter's tattoo to call up his crew and treats them to a big rant and then challenged Harry to a duel. He unties Harry and gives him his wand back and off they go. Best fight I've ever seen, and I've seen quite a few fights. I'd like to see Flitwick go up against Snape. Bet good money Flitwick wins. During the fight Harry sees me next to the trophy and my wand in hand. He nods to me and turns back to the bastard. I see a big bright light that blinds me and then I feel Harry's hand on my ankle squeezing tight. I grab the trophy and off we go. While I was talking to the Ministry officials, they showed me pictures of Peter and the… thing and I tell them yeah, that's who I saw. Next thing I know this ugly looking lady is threatening to have me killed if I repeated my story to people. My Dad got scared and dragged me off someplace outside England. The reason I'm here is that Cho wrote to me and told me of this little meet and I decided to show up. Good thing I did."

The room was now very quiet. People were looking at each other. Zach had gone quiet and he appeared to have lost his aggression.

"So are you guys gonna join Harry's order or not? Learn how to fight or get on your knees to this loser you're so afraid of and he kills you anyway just for laughs?" Cedric jabbed them again.

Even more silence. George was the first to step forward.

"I'm in, can't speak for my brothers and little sister," he said.

Ginny punched him on the arm and he cringed. "Ow. You hit like a girl."

Ginny glared at him as Cedric and Cho smiled at that.

"Got news for you, brother mine. I am a girl, and I can kick butt better than you," she snapped.

People laughed at that, breaking the tension in the room.

Zach finally nodded. "Okay. I'm in. Got a personal score to settle with them mask wearing freaks. That person in black that's been running around slicing and dicing them up? He's got the right idea. Time we took the fight to them and win."

With that, the rest of the group fell in. Every one of them signed Hermione's parchment and the date for the first meet was set. Harry's order was born.

The group returned to the castle in the mid afternoon after spending time wandering around Hogsmeade. Fred and George spent time in Zonko's, a joke shop while Harry took Hermione over to the local book store. He made himself comfortable in the reading area with a steaming cup of tea and started a conversation with a local boy and learned a bit about Hogsmeade. Hermione eventually showed up at the front with a few books and Harry sighed. Harry excused himself and headed to the counter where Hermione was. He carried the bag of books back to the castle and Filch demanded to know what was inside the bag. Harry told him but the man wasn't satisfied with the answer and Harry ended up showing him the books. Winky popped up to take the bag of books up to Hermione's room. The group then followed Harry to the room where the magical door was. It appeared as Harry approached it and Hermione smiled at that.

"Trust Hogwarts to come up with something like that," she said. "Great idea."

A soft melodious voice sounded in Harry's head. "Have then touch the doorknob one by one."

Harry blinked as he looked around.

"Something wrong Harry?" Ron asked.

Harry frowned as he turned back. "I just heard a voice telling me to have all of you touch the doorknob. I think it's to make sure that only the right people get in."

Hermione reached for it and the door opened. She stepped through and it closed. Then Ron took his turn, and one by one each person got inside. Harry was the last to enter. He found Hermione looking at the book titles in the library and he smiled.

"There she goes again," Ron quipped, getting a laugh.

Harry turned around to see Salazar standing behind them.

"Guys, I'd like all of you to meet one of the Founders Four, Salazar Slytherin," Harry said once everyone had turned around to look.

Salazar smiled as he bowed. "I am honored to meet all of you. Harry, this lovely lady holding the book must be the Lady Hermione."

Hermione blushed as Harry smiled. "She is."

"It is obvious to me that the both of you complement each other well," he said with a nod.

Harry bowed. "Thank you sir."

Salazar turned to Fred. "You must be Ron?"

Fred grinned as he pulled Ron up in front of him. "This is ickle Ronniekins."

Ron glared at Fred as Salazar laughed out loud. "Very good. Then you must be George while the other is Fred."

Harry grinned at that one.

"Actually I'm Fred and that's Georgie over there," Fred said.

"And what do you two specialize in?" Salazar asked.

"Pranks!" George declared.

Fred grinned at his brother. "The bigger the better!"

Salazar smiled. "Somehow I believe that. We did have a student back in our day who loved practical jokes, and yes, the bigger the better. I believe I have a record of them around here somewhere, and judging by those silly smiles you want to see it. It will take me some time to find it."

He turned to Ron. "I have a room set aside for you to work in. Creating a defense of Hogwarts is a good idea. Hogwarts really never needed one as the four of us were able to overcome whatever was thrown at us. As I had died down here, I have no idea what Hogwarts has endured up to now, but this Voldemort fellow sounds like a major problem according to Harry. If he is able to raise a large enough army to make an attempt to harm this place, then yes, by all means, create a defense. The bigger the better. As I am not physically able to help, I can and will advise you all the best I can."

"I do have a question sir," Hermione stepped forward.

Salazar turned to her. "What is it?"

"What do you know about something called a Horcrux?" she asked.

The warm expression on the man's face disappeared to be replaced by a grim look. "It is a piece of the most darkest and blackest magic ever. It is a device in which a person deposits a piece of their soul after committing murder most foul. If for any reason that person's body dies, his soul would continue to live until it is deposited into another body."

"We know of one," Hermione began.

Harry shook his head. "Two of them dear. When he killed my mother he turned me into one. The soul fragment that was lodged in my scar was removed a week later by a group of magicals in Japan where I went to live afterwards."

Salazar's eyebrows shot up. "He turned you into one? Most interesting. What was the other one?"

"A diary," Ginny spoke up. "Voldemort was able to take possession of me and that's how Bessie got loose and used to petrify people."

Salazar shook his head at Ginny. "I am so sorry, my dear. That must have been a traumatic experience for you. Have you recovered?"

"Yes. Still dream about it every now and then. If it hadn't been for Harry, who knows? I owe him a life debt," Ginny said.

George spoke up. "The Weasley Clan does, and it's one of the reasons why we stand behind Harry."

Salazar nodded. "Good man. Now then, would you like to see the rest of the place?"

They did, and Salazar took them round. Hermione pulled her wand and began casting spells as Ginny wrote something down on a bit of paper.

"Taking measurements, Harry. That way we will know just how much space we can use safely without crowding things. For example, how much space we can use for a girl's area, how much space we can use for a guy's area, and so on. We will need quite a bit of space in the main area for training and other things," Hermione said.

"Bright girl," Salazar said.

Harry grinned. "She's a genius in a lot of things."

Ron joined them. "Should see the room I've got, Harry. I do have a question for you. Is it possible to make a copy of the Marauder's Map? Would help me a lot."

"Marauder's Map?" Salazar asked.

Harry smiled. "It was a map that my Dad and two close friends created of Hogwarts. They charmed it so they would know who was where at any given moment in time. I'll have to ask Remus and Sirius."

"Okay," Ron said.

"I'll send them a letter tonight," Harry said.

The others walked up to where Harry was standing talking to Salazar and Ron. "Getting late, we need to go. Dinner will be starting soon."

"Then off with you all. I will see you the next time," Salazar said.

The group headed back to the library and went through the door back into the small side room. From there it was easy to get back out into Hogwarts and join the other students going to dinner.

Next Episode: The Pink Toad Strikes


	9. The Pink Toad Strikes

Ninja Wizard V 09

By David

Author's Notes & Disclaimer: These marks [] indicate Japanese spoken. All Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling. They are not mine, I'm just borrowing them for this fic. Enjoy.

Ninja Wizard V 09

"The Pink Toad Strikes"

The meet in the Hog's Head had been on Saturday morning. Harry relaxed a bit feeling somewhat relieved that now he was believed, thanks to Cedric Diggory popping up and giving his view of the events. Cedric managed to get in touch with people he knew over the weekend and gave Harry his address where mail could get to him. He related the events of what happened to him at the Ministry and why his father decided to leave England. Cedric managed to establish some kind of resistance group against the DE's where he was.

"The most interesting thing to me is the fact that these guys seem to be concentrating their efforts in England, and nowhere else," Cedric told him over a bottle of butterbeer. "Very curious, I say."

Harry nodded. "I agree. We don't get much information as to what's going on outside England, and I think that's because perhaps the ministry chooses to ignore what's going on outside of England for reasons known only to them."

"Fudge trying to cover something up?" Cedric asked.

Harry sighed. "Who knows. Things are building up to some kind of confrontation, and I don't think Fudge is cut out to be a wartime leader. Someone's going to move him out of the way and step in. Either they will kick DE butt or not. Somehow I get the feeling that the Pink Toad is going to be the big boss, and if she is, the Wizarding world can kiss their arse goodbye."

"Dad's told me a few stories about her," Cedric said. "That woman is downright scary."

Harry lifted his head and glanced around. "What I'd like to know is what she has against werewolves and other magical creatures. They have a right to exist just as much as us humans do. Granted there are a few bad apples out there and that doesn't mean all of the good ones should suffer because of the actions of a few. She learned that behavior somewhere, you just don't become a bigot on your own."

Cedric nodded at that. "And not just magical creatures, either. I've heard she can be very insulting to other witches and wizards that she considers not to be proper witches and wizards."

"Well, she's managed to get her claws into somebody and got them to approve of this hairbrained scheme of hers to mold Hogwarts into something that's completely different. I'm curious as to how far she's gonna go with this obsession of hers to remake Hogwarts into her image," Harry sighed. "Right now I gotta very bad feeling the first shot's been fired."

Harry's bad feeling came true Tuesday morning when he observed Filch hanging a sign by the entrance to the great hall. Harry waited for the crowd to thin out before approaching the sign to see what it said. Hermione and Ron came up behind him.

"By Order of The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, all student organizations, societies, teams, groups, and clubs are all henceforth disbanded.

Any organization, society, team, group, and club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three students or more.

Permission to reform may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge).

No organization, society, team, group, or club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.

Any student found to have formed, or belong to, an organization, society, team, group, or club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.

This is in accordance to Educational Decree Number Twenty Four.

Signed Dolores Jane Umbridge

High Inquisitor

"She can't do that!" someone yelled, setting off a firestorm around him.

Harry nodded and headed into the great hall, Hermione and Ron behind him. He took his usual seat at the far end of the Ravenclaw house table and a cup of coffee popped up in front of him. He sipped it slowly as his mind began to process this newest wrinkle. Finally he looked up at Hermione and Ron.

"Most interesting, I think. We have a meeting in the Hog's Head on Saturday and this pops up this morning. She knows," he said.

"How would she find out?" Ron asked.

Hermione sighed. "There were people inside the Hog's Head that morning, any one of them could have gone up to the castle or sent a letter informing her of the meet."

Harry scratched the side of his face. "Well, she's just fired the first shot in the battle. I say we carry on, but carefully. We need to keep this on the low down. My only worry is that someone in the know will rat us out."

Hermione smiled at that. "When they do, we'll know who the traitor is."

"Oh Merlin, what did you do now, Hermione?" Ron gasped.

"When all of us signed the parchment, it activated a very nasty curse that will put Sandra Wilkin's acne to shame," Hermione giggled.

Harry's left eyebrow went up. "Fascinating."

"So what now?" Ron sighed.

Harry's breakfast popped up in front of him. "We carry on as usual. We try to get the word round that the class will go on as scheduled, and that everybody needs to keep the information secret. Hermione, can you come up with a way to notify people of the times and date of each meeting?"

"Working on it," she said. "I could have something in a few days."

Harry nodded as he bit into a slice of ham. "Good. I'm going to send off a few letters at break. Need to keep our friends informed. What's our first class today?"

"Potions with Snape," Ron informed Harry.

"Oh joy."

The rest of breakfast was done in silence.

Harry carried a mug of coffee downstairs to the potions lab in the dungeons. There were a few Slytherins outside the door and Malfoy was spouting off as usual.

"Oh yes, Madame Umbridge was most pleased to reform the Slytherin team immediately once she knew who I was. It pays to be connected to all of the right people, especially with my father in such a high position inside the ministry and being personal friends with the minister," Draco smirked at Harry.

Harry shrugged his shoulders in a way that appeared to people like he didn't care. "Doesn't bother me since I don't play Quidditch anymore and don't belong anywhere. It's not like the most important thing in the world to me. I'm more interested in learning about magic and how to do it."

That seemed to knock Malfoy back a bit and before the blond could respond, the door got flung open and Snape came out. The hall fell silent instantly.

"Although I would be interested in hearing your petty useless squabbling, I believe my class is far more important. Get inside now!" he demanded.

Harry glanced at the others. It was obvious that Snape was in a mood. As they filed inside and took their usual places, it became obvious why Snape was in a mood. Sitting in the far corner was the Pink Toad as everybody took to calling her behind her back. Umbridge looked up and smiled sweetly at everybody. Harry shivered at that smile. It wasn't a genuine smile, it was one filled with malice. Harry was now more determined than ever to beat her down.

The class got started. Harry ignored the quill scratching on parchment as he worked on the day's assignment, the Strengthening Solution. According to Hermione's information, it was an advanced level potion. Harry was glad to be learning it as he deemed it to be important. He decided to go down to the potions lab in his trunk next chance he got and mix up some in the event he needed it. It would go into one of the many pouches of his ninja utility belt. He glanced in the direction of Umbridge every now and then as Snape floated around the room studying people's potions as he talked about the strengthening Solution. Umbridge at some point stood up and confronted Snape in the middle of the room.

"This class does seem to be rather advanced due to your teaching skills," she began as Snape glared at her, "but I am not so sure they should be learning the strengthening solution. The ministry would prefer it to be removed from the list of approved potions to be taught."

Snape did not react to that. Umbridge continued on.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

"Fourteen years."

"I understand that you have applied for the post of the Defense Against The Dark Arts the first year and didn't get it?" she asked.

Snape ground his jaw. "Obviously."

"And you have continued to do so each year? Why have you not gotten it?" she asked.

Snape slowly turned to face her and Harry felt the anger coming off the man in waves.

"I suggest you go and discuss that with Dumbledore," he snarled, making the class shiver.

Umbridge didn't seem to be fazed by his response.

"Oh I will," she said sweetly.

Harry wondered if it was possible to become a diabetic from hearing that sugary sweet voice. He went back to his potion as Umbridge began to ask random students about Snape's class. She passed him by, pretending not to notice him. Harry ignored the snub and continued on with what he was doing.

The great hall was buzzing about what happened in Divination this morning. Apparently Trelawney had gotten her inspection notice back and it greatly upset her. Harry sighed and rubbed his face. He knew that sooner or later someone was going to get dumped from the staff and it looked like she would be the first. Harry stretched and made things pop inside his body. It was getting way too cold to go outside so he played around with the idea of going up into the R&R room and creating a summer beach like environment just so he could get warmed up even if it was for just ten minutes. He was glad for the warming spell he learned way back in first year, something he applied to his clothes every morning before getting dressed. He did have to reapply it halfway through the day and made sure others knew of it so they could use it. Harry sat there with a cup of tea and pursued the paper after he was done with lunch, not finding much of anything other than Fudge grandstanding again. Harry wondered just what it would take for him to open his eyes and see what was really going on, but it would never happened as he was too blinded by Malfoy gold. He shook his head and sighed. This was getting too much. He briefly wondered what would happen if he just stood up and walked out of Hogwarts, never to return. Harry knew the school wouldn't last very long as people seemed to depend on him keeping the place safe knowing full well if something were to happen 'oh Potter can take care of it' and keep on. The thought suddenly crossed his mind that maybe somebody in the background was setting things up and manipulating him just to see how he reacted to things. First year had all the earmarks of Dumbledore leading him on from behind. Second year had been a damned book that caused all of the ruckus, Malfoy having planted it. Did he do it on his own, or was he influenced by something bigger in shadow? Third year had been Sirius, and Harry had forgiven him for that, knowing full well that Peter Pettigrew had manipulated things from back then. Fourth year had been the spirit of Voldemort and Dumbledore had tried to use it as a way to strike back at him for having gotten him in trouble. Harry hadn't forced Dumbledore into anything, the man chose to do what he did. And now he was dealing with Umbridge, and wondered if she was getting manipulated by someone in shadow. Too many questions. Not enough answers. It was time to go back to his war room inside the trunk.

Harry and his crew sat around the large table inside his war room. Harry pinned a picture of Umbridge up on the wall and stepped back.

"Okay. What do we know about the Pink Toad?" Harry asked.

Nobody spoke up. Harry turned to Hermione.

"I was able to dig up a little on her," she said. "She was a student here. Joined the ministry right out of Hogwarts. Her father was a janitor at the ministry. At some point he left the ministry just as she started to climb the ladder into the higher levels. A number of people lost their jobs after having confrontations with her. She is very clearly bigoted against anything that's not Wizard or witch kind. She believes she's far more superior than anyone else."

"You got all of that from books?" George said.

"Some of it," Hermione admitted. "The rest is rather obvious from the way she looks down her nose at all of us 'commoners'. As for the way she rose into power at the ministry, all of that's public record. Not too hard to get that information if you know who to write to."

"Very nice, Hermione. Question is, how do we stop her from taking over Hogwarts?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed. "Something I've been asking myself. She's dirty. That much is obvious. The question is how do we prove it? All we can do at this point is to watch her and document everything she says and does. Sooner or later she's going to do something questionable and we'll be there to record it. Then I can file some kind of protest with the Wizengamot. The Potter Clan does have a seat there," Harry said.

Neville sat up. "I can provide Gran with a lot of the same thing and the both of you can lodge protests together. How are you able to work your place on the Wizengamot?"

Harry smiled. "Very carefully. I read all of the paper they sent me through the Goblins. I'm able to cast my votes through the mail as a lot of the proposals I read have to do with money being spent on useless things. I've done some late nights at my desk working on what they send me. What gets me is the way they write these things. I wish they would write the things in plain English so I can understand what the hell they're saying."

"Gran has the same complaint," Neville said.

Harry sighed and sipped his tea. "Anyway, can two of you get around and set up the first class for this Thursday night after dinner? Time we got this thing off the ground."

"I can," Hermione said.

"I'm in," Ginny said.

"Ginny and I have been field testing something for the club and so far it works great. Final testing will be tomorrow and we can pass it out that night," Hermione said.

Harry smiled. "Now we're getting somewhere. If it's going to be, it's up to us. I can't sit here and depend on either the ministry or the Dumbledork's bird club to fix things. It's up to us now."

"Let's get the job done," Fred stated.

The others agreed and the plan was now set in motion.

The meeting had gone down Tuesday night. Wednesday evening found him in the library in a far corner reading something for herbology class. The book was not an exciting read, and Harry was forced to read carefully as it had been written in Old English. At some point he began to nod off, dropping his guard and not seeing the person hiding behind a suit of armor. His head kept dropping time and time again until he decided he would close his eyes for just a few minutes. The next thing he knew he was standing inside a long corridor without windows. He blinked. How the hell did he get here? He turned to see the door at the end of the hallway and started down it. This was all so wrong. It felt wrong, it seemed wrong, nothing was supposed to be able to penetrate his thoughts. He stopped before the door and started to reach out for it. His fingers barely grazed the doorknob when the voice of his head of security for the castle he kept inside his head spoke up.

[This way, my lord. This place is wrong,] Obata-san said as he appeared next to him.

Harry turned to face him as the corridor faded away and the grounds of the castle appeared. Mariko, the maid, stood there with a tea tray as Obata guided him to a nearby chair.

[What happened, Obata-san?] Harry asked.

The man sat down in a chair opposite Harry and frowned as Mariko poured out a bit of tea.

[I do not know for sure, my lord. For some reason that appeared in your mind. It did not access the castle, but it was enough to alert me. It used a spot just outside the castle walls, being strong enough to alert you and draw you into it. I don't know if it was just a dream or if someone planted it there,] he said as he leaned forward on his left arm.

[Can't be Voldemort, that connection was destroyed when I was barely a year old, just after I arrived at the Hidden Village. Could someone else have established a connection to me?] Harry asked.

Obata scratched the left side of his chin, thinking hard. [It is possible, my lord. I need to go looking.]

Harry nodded. [Please do so. We need to know who or what this thing is and stop it.]

[Very good, my lord. The one known as Dobby approaches you, my lord,] Obata said, and the scene in front of Harry faded away to see Dobby staring intently at him.

"Is Master Harry sir okay?" the elf asked, a worried look on his face.

Harry sat up and reached for the potions book he dropped onto the floor. He stood up and stretched, making things go pop in his body.

"Just working too hard again, Dobby. I really should get to bed, got a long day tomorrow," he said. "Can we count on you to play lookout for us tomorrow night?"

Dobby beamed. "You can count on me, sir!"

Harry smiled at the enthusiastic elf. "I'm glad you're on our side, Dobby."

Dobby bounced up and down with joy as he led the way out of the library to a secret door behind a statue that opened up into his secret flat. Harry was amazed at the way Hogwarts made it so easy for Harry and his crew to travel around the castle. Ron and Hermione hadn't wasted any time in getting established down in the cave. Hermione had a number of conversations with Slytherin and learned a lot from him and Harry hoped that it was stuff they could use in the defense club. He was sure he would find out tomorrow night. For now he just wanted to go to bed.

Harry got up late the next morning. Not how he wanted to start his day, but there it was. He decided to do his workouts during the free period he had on Thursdays and rushed through the shower and dressed. Miyamoto let him out once he made sure the hall was clear. Harry headed downstairs to the third floor landing, and just as he put his left foot down he felt killing energy directed at him. He didn't waste any time, he went down fast. The purple colored spell missed him by mere inches. Harry rolled over onto his back and speed drew his wand to defend, but the attacker was gone. Harry stood up and tucked his wand away, his mind going at breakneck speed. Questions popped up one after another. He decided to go see Flitwick. Walking into the hall, he spotted the professor up at the high table. He went up there and asked the diminutive professor for a moment of his time. Both of them stepped into a side room. Harry told him exactly what had happened.

"A purple colored spell you say?" Flitwick asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes sir."

He looked up at Harry. "I will have a look around and see if I can detect a magical signature to it. I do not like the sound of this, Mr. Potter."

"I don't like it either, sir. That's why I came to you," Harry said. "I don't know the spells needed to make such a determination."

Flitwick nodded. "I will have to teach you those spells then. For now go about your day. Keep me informed if there are any more attacks on you."

"I will, sir. Thanks for your help," Harry said and stood up from where he was sitting.

Flitwick floated out the door and back to his breakfast. Harry went to his usual spot to grab a bit of coffee and toast. He informed Hermione on the way to class what had transpired.

"See you at lunch!" Hermione called to him as they split up for the first class of the day.

Harry smiled as he turned towards his first class of the day.

Dumbledore nodded at the class and rose. While he had been doing rather well with the class and it seemed to Harry that his mood was improving having noticed his having been depressed a bit of late and wondered if Umbridge had given him a hard time in her evaluation of him, he did stick to the subject he knew well, the history of famous Wizards and Witches having made great contributions to the Wizarding World. Today he was discussing the man who wrote the book "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find them", a book written by the great Newt Scamander.

"Thanks to him and his great courage, we now know more about these magical creatures than ever before. But that was not the only thing he did," Dumbledore began. "He stood up to the Dark Lord Grindelwald and managed to defeat him once."

"Then you faced him," someone spoke up.

Dumbledore raised his head and sighed. "I did, and it hurt me a great deal as he had been one I counted as a friend. His ideals were much different than mine at the time and that caused us to break off our friendship. Doing what is right is never easy. Fighting a friend because of a disagreement is not pleasant, even when that disagreement takes those two people into different directions. He became dark. People were willing to stand up to him in order to defend the magical world at the cost of their lives. They are the true heroes of the magical world and we must learn the lessons they wish to teach us through their actions."

That certainly gave Harry a lot to think about and he became even more determined to teach others the means to protect and defend themselves as Umbridge sure as hell wasn't going to do it.

Harry decided to start off with a pair of simple spells first, expelliarmus and protégo for the first night and then go from there depending on how well everybody who joined did. Harry checked both directions before entering the hall where the room was. He walked past the spot three times, silently asking the question of needing a place to practice defense. The double door appeared just as Hermione showed up with a few people behind her. Harry went to open the door and they went inside. It was exactly what he needed. Against the far wall was a row of targets. On the east side was a row of bookcases, to which Hermione raced up to.

"Never fails," Ron chuckled, "show her books and she just has to check them out."

On the west side were a group of chairs, enough for a group of people to sit in and discuss things. A large chandelier was overhead. The rest of the room was a wide open space.

"Nice," Neville said.

George had gone over to the row of targets and shot off a spell at one of them. The target rang as the spell hit and a number popped up over the target. "Ah, look at that. It tells you how powerful the spell was, Freddy. Take a shot."

Fred sighed as Ron grinned. Fred took up his position and fired expelliarmus and hit the target he had been aiming for. It rang loud and a number popped up, beating George's score by twenty points.

"I'm better than you," Fred chanted.

George turned and growled as Ron and Harry grinned. Harry stepped up and hit his target, getting a much higher number than Fred and George did.

"Whoa," Ron blinked. "Hundred points more than those two combined."

They turned as Ginny led some people in. They blinked at the numbers floating over the targets. Zach Smith immediately took up a position in front of a target and gave it his best shot. He managed to edge out Fred by five points. Ron took a spot and fired off a spell and got a number just below George. Hermione bowed to the boys and then turned to her target, getting a number that beat Zach by twenty points while the girls in the room laughed.

"Sorry boys," Hermione grinned as she twirled her wand.

Harry stepped back and let people have a go at the targets until all twenty five had their scores registered on the nearby chalk board. Harry turned to the group.

"That's not bad for a start. The reason I beat all of you with that much higher number is because I practice on a daily basis. The more I worked at using my magic…" Harry said.

"The stronger you got," Zach finished the statement.

Harry nodded to the boy. "Exactly. That's what all of us need to do. Practice and get our magical cores to grow and stretch. It's kind of like doing weightlifting, a muggle sport, to improve your physical muscles and build up strength in your bodies, something I do as well. So for tonight, I would like us to start out by using a simple spell to try and improve those number for the next fifteen minutes. Then I am going to borrow something from Lockhart and start out with a simple spell combination, the expelliarmus and the protégo spell. If you stop and think about it, both do kind of complement each other as they are defensive spells. One disarms, the other blocks spells. Learn those two and work them to the point where you can do both in seconds without thinking about them. If you can cast them without saying the actual words, even better."

"Silent casting," Neville said.

Harry held out his fist to Neville and they bumped fists. "You got it, Neville. Silent casting is very possible, it's just a matter of powering up the intent to cast the spell mentally. I've been working on that with very simple spells and managed to do it with one spell, and after really concentrating at it."

"If you can do it then so can we," Zach said.

Harry nodded. "Gonna take a lot of work."

"So let's get to it," Zach challenged, and turned to a target.

"Expelliarmus," he intoned and cast the spell.

It hit the target giving him a slightly higher number, and the evening went from there. Harry called it quits just before ten and Hermione handed out a galleon to each person.

"If you look at the numbers on the front of it you will see a date and time. That's the information you need to know when we meet again. The coin will heat up for a moment and that will tell you the next class has been set. Try to make it if you can. If not, come see one of us and we'll tell you what you missed. Now that all of us have been in this room, it will let you back inside so you all can practice what you've learned here or work on your spell casting or just to read up on something and work on it on your own. If you do that, please be willing to share with the rest of us, okay?" Hermione said as she passed out the coins.

"Nice piece of magic, Granger," Zach complemented her. "Kinda answers my question of how you guys would notify all of us for the next group. Hell yeah, I'm in all the way now."

"Good. It's not so much as how we can score on the year end exams, it's how we can protect ourselves and others," Harry said.

People nodded to that as they left the room, Dobby playing the lookout. Harry was the last out and he looked back and smiled. This was going to work out just fine.

And it did. In the next two months, people worked hard at learning and casting the spells once it set in that they had complete freedom to do it. Even little Colin Creevey was getting into it, increasing his casting scores as he learned new spells. He even took the opportunity to teach the Impediment Jinx. Parvati Patil found the Reductor Curse that she used in the class, and turned one of the tables into sawdust. Neville discovered the Confundus spell to confuse the target temporarily. Even more people were stepping forward to teach new things and Harry couldn't be any happier. Things were going extremely well at that point. Letters from home indicated the DE problem had been slowing up. Harry didn't know if that was a good thing or not, he would find out over the Christmas Holidays. No word from Voldemort and Harry started to wonder if the Idiot-Who-Must-Be-Named had given up. Something deep inside of his spirit and soul wasn't convinced of that. Keith hadn't come up with anything new other than the usual chatter going on and hints of possible attacks here and there. Harry had gone out on the grounds to look for Hagrid and he still hadn't returned. Harry began to worry and decided he would go see McGonagall. He went to the gargoyle that guarded the headmaster's office and made an effort to get him to move aside or at least pass a message to McGonagall which he refused to. Harry simply nodded and said he would find another way to talk to her. Harry eventually found her in her classroom.

"Mr. Potter," she nodded to him.

Harry smiled. "Lady McGonagall."

"How can I help you Harry?" she asked.

Harry took a seat. "I am concerned about Hagrid. I know I don't take any of his classes, I still consider him a friend. He's been gone for some time and I hope he's okay. Have you heard from him?"

McGonagall sighed. "No I haven't, I'm sorry. Last I heard from him was that he went to go help a friend of his. Said he wasn't sure when he would get back. I have no idea how to contact him."

"Damn. I was hoping he sent you a letter or something," Harry sighed.

McGonagall offered him a biscuit from a tin she had on her desk. "Have you tried Dumbledore?"

"No, and I prefer not to have any kind of conversation with him. His class has been extremely interesting, the best it's ever been, and he does keep his distance from me, I just prefer not to have any kind of conversations with his is all," Harry said.

McGonagall knew it was still a sore spot with Harry and decided not to dwell on it any more than she had to. "The Gryffindor /Slytherin match is coming up soon in a few days. Who are you pulling for?"

Harry had to smile. "Gryffindor, of course. Rumor has it that there's a fair bit of betting going on."

McGonagall's eyebrows lifted. "Do tell."

"Gryffindor's the heavy favorite, the odds are too good to even try to bet. I'd settle for Gryffindor kicking butt," Harry said.

"Are you planning to watch the game?" she asked.

Harry thought about that for a moment. "Not entirely sure as I do have a fair bit of work to do before the holidays. I really should take a bit of a time out from all of that."

"Oh please do. It's not good to overwork yourself. Did that once myself and it cost me. Never again," she stated. "Now dinner is about to start, so off with you."

Harry had to smile. "Yes, my lady."

He stood up and bowed before going out the door. McGonagall sighed and shook her head. If only he was twenty years older… He certainly was a gentleman.

Harry took a spot at the end of the Hufflepuff table and relaxed as a cup of tea popped up in front of him as Ron sat down in front of him.

"I really and truly love magic," Harry commented as Ron grinned.

A tall mug of hot chocolate popped up in front of Ron. "Really not a big fan of tea or coffee. Prefer this instead. It does warm the spirit and soul just like tea does."

Harry had to agree with that one. Hermione joined them a moment later and Harry related the conversation he had with McGonagall.

"So are you ready for the game?" Harry asked Ron.

Ron sighed. "I hope so. Angelina's been working us extremely hard. I swear that girl is so obsessed with Quidditch like Oliver Wood was. She's scary."

Hermione and Harry laughed at that.

"So who's running the betting pools?" Harry asked.

Ron leaned in closer. "Lee Jordan is. He's just as good at it as Freddy and Georgie is."

Hermione shook her head and sighed.

Harry grinned and turned back to Ron. "Heard the odds are extremely stacked against Slytherin so the betting's moved off in other directions."

"The blighter's taking bets on how long I'll stay on my broom!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry grinned at that. "Sounds like something Fred and George would do."

Neville joined them. "Talking about the big game?"

"We are," Harry said. "Why, what have you heard?"

Neville sighed. "Rumor is that they Slytherins are cooking up something special for the game. Don't know what it is."

"Knowing those slimy snakes I'm willing to bet it's gonna be something interesting," Ron said.

Harry had a sudden bad feeling it would involve Ron. "Well, we'll find out."

Dinner began showing up in front of people. Harry had decided on broccoli beef with rice so he picked up his chopsticks and dug in. Ron shook his head and turned to his dinner, a rack of ribs and dug in. Neville opted for a rich stew and enjoyed it. Hermione decided on a tuna stroganoff. The hall was quiet for a bit as people dug into their dinners. So far the evening had gotten off to a good start.

Up in the library Harry leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. The essay he had been working on for McGonagall was kicking him in the ass as the assignment he was supposed to write about was a tricky piece of transfiguration. Harry decided he would bring it up at the next meet and throw it out there to get opinions about it. They had been taking a few minutes in each meet to discuss various class assignments and making an effort to help others get past those sticking points. Harry was in a quiet corner of the library and he was extremely tired. He slowly nodded off as he tried to focus on the book in front of him. And then suddenly he found himself in that same hallway once more. It was dark this time, barely any light to see by. Harry saw the door once more and now he was seized by the desire to open that door to see what was inside. Just as he reached for it Madame Pince woke him up. Harry jumped up and looked at the older lady glaring at him.

"Sorry Lady Pince," Harry apologized.

He loaded up his backpack and picked up the book he had been reading. He put it back where he had gotten it and the lady nodded to him as if she approved of him putting the book back. Harry left the library and checked the hall to make sure it was clear. A grinning clown resembling Fred opened up his painting and Harry stepped through it to his flat. The dark figure stepped out from the shadows once Madame Pince walked away and snarled in anger. The Dark Lord would not like this.

Game Day. If there ever was just one thing that got people fired up, it was Quidditch, and today was no exception. The great hall was louder than ever. Harry joined Gryffindor house table and watched Ron pick at his breakfast.

"Come on Ron, Eat a little something, okay?" Harry nudged him.

Ron nibbled at a bit of sausage, making Harry sigh. "A little more, come on."

Ron managed to eat the whole thing and Harry knew that was as good as it was gonna get.

"Now listen up, Ron. Got some stuff to tell you," Harry said, leaning forward on his arms that were crossed in front of him.

A couple of the Gryffindors listened in.

"When you get out there, the only thing that should be on your mind is to track the Quaffle the best you can. Ignore everything. Ignore the silly Slytherins. Ignore the ones on the field. Ignore Malfoy. They are nothing. Block out everything that you hear. The only thing you need to hear is the sound of your own voice telling you to beat them, to win this thing, to stop them from throwing the Quaffle in through the rings. Don't let anything distract you. It's just you, the Quaffle, and whoever has it. You can do this. Keep saying that in your head. I can do this. I can win," Harry said.

Ron looked up at Harry and he saw the light of determination in his eyes and knew that he had gotten through. Ron nodded to Harry and Harry nodded back.

"Come on, Lion Boy. Time to kick butt," Harry grinned.

Ron grinned and made an attempt to growl like a lion. The Gryffindor table slowly cleared and people began walking to the stadium. Fred and George caught up with Harry.

"What you said…" Fred began

"To ickle Ronnikins…" George continued.

"Was spot on…" Fred said.

Angelina had caught up to them. "Thanks Potter."

Harry smiled and nodded. Perhaps coming out to the game had been the right thing.

Harry took a spot in the stands reserved for guests. Luna, Neville, Hermione, and Ginny joined him. It was kind of weird to him to be on this side of the game, and yet here he was. Harry turned his attention to the start of the game. Then the balls were released, and the game was on. The game set a whole new level for nasty. The Slytherins did everything they could to take down the Gryffindors, keeping Madame Hooch busy so she wouldn't see the other blatant fouls committed. Then a Slytherin grabbed the Quaffle and headed towards Ron. The Slytherins began to sing, taking Harry by surprise.

"Weasley is our King

He cannot save a thing

This is why all Slytherins sing

Weasley is our king"

And it went from there. They got louder as the Slytherin got closer. Harry shifted his attention to Ron, and saw him sitting on his broom looking completely relaxed. The Slytherin got close and then flung the Quaffle at one of the rings. Only then did Ron react, slapping the Quaffle away in time, making the Slytherins scream out in rage. Angelina grabbed it and took off before the Slytherins had a chance to react. Ron had a slight smile on his face. Harry leaned back in his seat with a smile. Ron would be alright. The lyrics would change from time to time as Slytherin tried to get a score but Ron managed to protect the rings every time no matter what the Slytherins tried. All of those summertime pickup games in his backyard had trained him well. Finally McLaggen managed to catch the Snitch inches from Malfoy's right hand, ending the game. The Slytherins exploded, screaming defiance and curses. Harry smiled as Ron was surrounded by his teammates. Harry left the stands and went down to the field to congratulate Ron and came up to what was a heated confrontation between George, Fred, and McLaggen and Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Harry didn't catch all of the words but enough to figure out they were insulting Molly Weasley, the house they lived in, and the Weasley Family in general. People were trying to hold the three Gryffindors back but Fred got in the first blow and then all hell broke loose. McGonagall was right there in seconds and broke it up. Harry had managed to stop Ron from getting involved. Ron glared at him and Harry sighed, knowing this wasn't going to end well. Harry followed the Gryffindors back to the castle and then up to McGonagall's office.

"They were goaded into it, Miss McGonagall, by the insults heaped onto them," Harry began.

McGonagall glared at Harry, shutting him up. She turned back to Fred, George, and McLaggen.

"Do you three idiots know what you have done?" she snarled.

Silence.

"The three of you physically attacked those three Slytherins, giving them the opportunity to create even more trouble for us," McGonagall snarled.

Harry frowned. "Malfoy and his boyfriends insulted the Weasley Family and McLaggen's mother. There was no honor in what they said. Just because they lost the game."

McGonagall turned to Harry and before she could say anything, Umbridge spoke up from the doorway.

"Such a dreadful display of poor sportsmanship!" she declared. "Something must be done."

Harry could see a red color slowly rising in McGonagall's face and knew her Scottish temper was about to blow. He stepped back and motioned for the four others to do the same. Umbridge moved past Harry and she started fumbling around in her purse.

"Detentions will not solve this problem," she said. "So I came to help administer the punishments."

McGonagall stood up and got into Umbridge's face. "The Gryffindors are my house. These are my students. Therefore, I choose the punishments, not you."

Inner Harry was jumping up and down in joy at what McGonagall just did. She managed to put the Pink Toad in her place. Umbridge ignored what McGonagall said and continued to fumble around in her purse obviously looking for something.

"Oh, so sorry, but you are mistaken, Miss McGonagall. I do have the authority to hand out punishments according to Educational Decree Number Twenty Five that Minister Fudge sent me just this morning," Umbridge smiled sweetly. "Oh, here it is."

She removed a rolled up scroll and unrolled it while clearing her throat.

"The High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions, and removal of privileges pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to alter such punishments, sanctions, and removal of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members. It is signed by our Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge himself. I will have it posted by the great hall entrance in time for lunch," she smirked. "So, now to the matter of my judgment. I think a lifetime ban is in order for these three. I will be confiscating their brooms immediately."

McLaggen stepped forward and got into her face. "You can't do that!"

Umbridge stood her ground. "I can and I just did, Mr. McLaggen." She raised the scroll in her hand. "This gives me the authority to do so."

McLaggen's eyes turned red with anger as he really got into her face. "I'm not done with you yet, bitch."

He walked to the door.

"Mr. McLaggen, your broom please," Umbridge beamed at him.

Harry blinked. Is this… woman even for real? McLaggen calls her out and she didn't even blink. McLaggen turned back to her and nodded. "Very well. You want my broom, you can have it."

He proceeded to break off little bits of it starting with the bristles and ending with the handle, dropping the pieces onto the floor as he did so. McGonagall, Fred, George, and Harry blinked in shock. Harry never knew it was possible to do that to a broom. McLaggen turned to McGonagall before leaving her office, and he simply nodded to her.

"I will be calling for a vote of no confidence against you," he said and stormed out.

Fred and George simply dropped their brooms on the floor and walked out. Harry glanced back and saw McGonagall sagging against her desk. He felt badly for her, but there wasn't anything he could do for her at the moment.

Harry sat at his desk that afternoon after having written a letter to Sirius about what he had witnessed. Miyamoto sat there and watched Harry for a few minutes.

[I have never witnessed anything like this before, anywhere, Harry, and I have been here for ages,] he said. [I am concerned as to how these events will affect things.]

Harry nodded slowly as he sipped his tea. [I am concerned as well. I am debating a course of action in response to today's action but I have no idea just what kind of reaction it will get me with the Wizengamot, so I have written the Dame Longbottom asking for advice as well as Sirius and Gring. Hopefully they can advise me on it.]

[What did you have in mind?] Miyamoto said.

Harry sighed. [To introduce a resolution condemning Umbridge and her actions.]

Miyamoto nodded as he crossed his arms and sat back. The room was silent as he considered Harry's words. Finally he leaned forward.

[I see two ways that could go in. The Wizengamot could act on it as a number of them do have their kids here. The second is they could reject it due to the fact that Umbridge and Fudge seem to be of one mind on this high Inquisitor business. They certainly have more than enough influence in the Wizengamot to get people to go their way. Dumbledore's actions of the last four years where you are concerned has raised more than enough concerns as to what is going on here. Fudge and Umbridge do see you as a threat to them, even though you gave him your word that you will never seek the office of minister. That right there would be enough for them to get people to reject your resolution,] Miyamoto told him.

Harry sighed. [That scenario has crossed my mind, Tomotsu. Damned if I do and damned if I don't.]

Harry stood up and moved into the living room where he sat down on the couch and put up his feet onto the coffee table. He examined the situation from every angle possible and came up with nothing. He closed his eyes and sighed. The holidays were coming up. He hoped the school break would give people a chance to relax and think about other things.

Monday morning. Harry went down to breakfast and found the hall buzzing with excitement. Harry sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table. Ron and Hermione joined him.

"Have you seen the paper this morning?" Hermione asked Harry.

Harry sipped his coffee. "No I haven't. Why? What's happened?"

Ron handed him his copy. "Your copy got here before you did. Sorry, mate."

Harry nodded as he took it and opened it up to the front page. The articles on the front page made him pause. He lowered the paper and blinked at Ron and Hermione before reading the articles. The first one talked about Educational Decree Number Twenty Five. From there it led into the events at the Quidditch game Saturday morning. Then the announcement from Umbridge about the lifetime bans from Quidditch. Next up was the announcement of a billion galleons lawsuit from the McLaggen Family accusing Umbridge of attempting to sabotage Hogwarts and showing Slytherin House favoritism for not banning Draco Malfoy and his two friends from Quidditch, accusing Lucius Malfoy of conspiring with Umbridge and minister Fudge of attempting to interfere with Hogwarts, and then accusing Fudge of not stopping the so called 'High Inquisitor' of Hogwarts from causing emotional damage to staff and students with her so called 'Educational Decrees' and then calling for a vote of no confidence against McGonagall. Harry glanced up at the high table. McGonagall was in her place as usual. Umbridge was there but with one unusual exception. The two chairs on either side of her were empty. It was obvious now the staff hated her guts. Harry immediately reconsidered his resolution to the Wizengamot and instead decided on an article to the Daily Prophet in regards to governmental interference with a school.

This were about to get a lot worse.

Next Episode: Hagrid returns, Harry's Dream, Holiday Break


	10. Toads and Snakes

Ninja Wizard V 10

By David

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and HP characters. JK Rowling has that pleasure.

Author Notes: These marks () indicate Japanese spoken.

Ninja Wizard v 10

"Toads and Snakes"

October 31st. Harry got out of the shower after having a hard workout and dressed in black as his habit was. This time it was in a black suit with a blood red tie. He cast the warming spell on them to keep himself warm as he went to the church where his parents had been buried. His black hooded cloak floated to him and he pulled it around himself and brought up the hood. Miyamoto nodded and let him out. Harry cast notice me not before leaving the flat and had no problem getting out of the castle. He went to the gardens where he knew Professor Sprout would be waiting for him. She nodded to Harry as she handed him the two bouquets of roses for his parents and patted him on his right arm. Harry gave her a sad smile as she stepped back. A door appeared at the far end of greenhouse three and Harry walked out of the door and out into the snow. It had snowed a bit earlier than normal and Harry was okay with that. He went to the front gates of Hogwarts and apparated the minute he cleared them to appear in Godric's Hollow. He walked the three blocks to the church and went around the left side of it to find the cemetery. He paused before the main gate and then went through it. His senses were alert and reached out to find the place quiet. Harry walked down the main path to the Potter Clan plot and entered the smaller gate that swung open when he approached it. He found his parent's graves and then reached into his cloak for the roses. He laid them down before each tombstone and then stepped back. He studied each tombstone and then nodded.

"Hi Mum, Dad," he began, and went from there, telling them of everything he had been through in the year he'd been here last.

Once he was finished with his narrative, he felt a lot better and stronger. Coming here and talking to them always made him stronger. There were times when he felt something warm touch him deep in his spirit, soul, and his heart, and he knew it was his parents telling him that they were right there with him. He knew for sure they were right there with him and he loved that feeling.

Harry returned to Hogwarts only to find trouble waiting for him in the form of an ugly pink toad. She stood in front of him with a smile on her face.

"Where have you been, Mr. Potter?" she asked in a little girl voice.

Harry pulled his hood back with both hands and looked at her. "You will address me as Lord Potter. As for where I have been, I went to pay my parents my respects as I have done every year."

Umbridge blinked at that and then smiled sweetly at him. "Oh but you need to clear it with me and I will decide if you are allowed to go or not."

The fire that lay within Harry slowly rose up in his eyes as his dragon spirit rose up within him and roared loudly. Umbridge stepped back as she saw the fire rise up in Harry's eyes, becoming afraid.

"My honor demands I go and pay my respects to the two people that I love beyond life that had been torn away from me by the Idiot-Who-Must-Be-Named!" Harry said to her coldly. "I do not need you permission to do so!"

Harry stepped forward glaring at her as Umbridge stumbled back, clearly afraid of the fire she saw deep inside Harry's eyes. Harry turned and headed up the stairs, ending the confrontation. The school hadn't stopped talking about the confrontation in the grand foyer since it happened and now it was late November and the talk about that confrontation hadn't stopped. McGonagall had talked to Harry about it and she told him that she endorsed his right to go see them anytime he felt like it. Harry appreciated that and continued on with what he was doing. And then Hagrid returned. Harry observed smoke coming from his chimney on the way to breakfast one morning and smiled. He'd go visiting the first chance he got, which he did, just before dinner.

"Harry!" Hagrid exclaimed when he opened the door to his hut. "Come in!"

Harry walked in to find Hermione already there. "Hi Harry!"

"Had a feeling I'd find you here love," Harry said as he came around the table and kissed her on the cheek, making Hagrid smile.

"Always knew you two would make a great couple," Hagrid said as Harry sat down next to her. "Cuppa tea, Harry?"

Harry smiled. "Thank you Hagrid."

Hagrid gave Harry a cup and then sat down. "Hermione here tells me you had a bit of a scrap at this Umbridge girl."

Harry sighed. "I did, and she's been trouble ever since she got here. When she finds out you're back, she's gonna make trouble for you, Hagrid. So you need to be careful round her because she will pop up on you when you least expect it to inspect one of your classes, and no doubt Malfoy is gonna try to make you look bad."

"He can try, the little rotter, and I'll dock him a load of points. As for her, I'll drop kick her arse into Black Lake from the hut," Hagrid said.

Harry had no doubt in his mind that Hagrid could do it.

"So where did you go?" Harry asked.

Hagrid sighed. "I went looking for me Mum once I learned where she might be and found out she had died some time ago. I did find where she was buried and paid my respects to her."

"Hagrid, I'm truly sorry for your loss," Harry said as he reached out and grasped his right hand.

Hermione patted his arm. "Me too. I bet she was a great mom!"

Hagrid sighed. "She wasn't the best. The last time I saw her was me first year. Don't know what made her go back to her family. Broke me Dad's heart when she did. Mine, too. I've been looking for her ever since because I missed her."

"She will always be with you Hagrid, especially in the times when you need her," Harry said.

Hagrid patted Harry on the shoulder. "Kind of you to say that, Harry."

They stayed for a few minutes more and then headed to the castle for dinner.

Two weeks later the castle was abuzz about what happened in Hagrid's class. Umbridge had dropped in to inspect his class. At first everything had gone okay until Malfoy had to open his mouth and tried to make Hagrid look bad. Hagrid had heard what Malfoy said to Umbridge and docked him a hundred points for badmouthing him. Malfoy had done his usual 'when my Father hears of this' act, threatening Hagrid and Hagrid knocked another hundred points off for making threats he had stormed off madder than anything. Hagrid turned to Umbridge and she scurried off, completely unnerved by the fire in his eyes. What would happen next was anyone's guess, but all of Slytherin House was pissed off at Malfoy and word was that Snape wanted Malfoy's ass and was looking to take out his anger on somebody and couldn't because Harry wasn't Ravenclaw anymore. Harry decided to keep his head down and not make any kind of waves even though he hadn't been there. If Snape was pissed at someone, it should be Malfoy, not him or Hagrid. He was pondering the situation when the doors to the Room of Requirement opened to admit the people who signed up for Harry's defense class. Harry stood up and nodded to everyone who showed up.

"Hi," he said, starting things off, "so did anybody have the chance to practice this week what we did last week?"

Quite a few people said yes. Harry grinned.

"Good. So let's start off by checking scores and we can go from there. First ten to the firing line and we'll go from there," Harry said.

The first group went through and then went over to where Harry was. Once everyone had gone through the firing line and posted good numbers, Harry nodded.

"Okay, that was great. Tonight I'm going to show you something called Salvio Hexia. It's a spell to protect you against most hexes. It puts some kind of shield around you and not over a large group like the Protego spell does, and the Protego is usually a onetime thing, while this one is a long term spell until you end it. Nice thing about it is you can cast it over just yourself, or over a group of people. If two or more people cast it at the same time, it increases the strength of the shield. So if we were to be in a fight together, two or three of you can cast it over the group and work to keep it going while the rest of us cast our spells through it to fight back. Incoming spell fire will be stopped from coming in. So let's give it a try," Harry said.

They worked on it for the next two hours, switching roles from defenders to attackers and back again as Harry introduced a few good hexes to the group. He grinned as they were catching on very well.

"Okay, time!" Harry called out, ending the evening.

People turned to look at Harry. "All of you got that one down fairly quick, good job. I think we will do one more class before we break for Christmas Holidays. As usual if anyone of you finds a good spell please introduce it to the rest of us. This class is just as much yours as it is mine. We need to learn this stuff as it could potentially protect us one day. So stay alert, okay?"

With that, people began leaving in pairs on one at a time through different doors as to not attract attention, last thing they needed, and then headed off to their dorms. Harry and Hermione strolled out from another location and were seen by the entrance to the library.

"Curfew in fifteen," they were informed by a suit of armor.

Harry nodded. "Thank you sir."

They kissed good night in front of the Gryffindor entrance.

The first week of December the castle underwent a change. Christmas decorations appeared to make the castle look much brighter. Harry began to smile a bit more as seeing the decorations put him in a better mood and Hermione was happy to see that. Coming down the stairs they saw Hagrid handling a tall Christmas tree and trying to open the doors to the great hall. Harry and Hermione raced over and opened the doors for Hagrid. Harry could see the slight smile on his face but it didn't quite reach his eyes and Harry knew why. The word had gotten around that Hagrid had been placed on probation by Umbridge. Malfoy was still in the doghouse with the Slytherins and that kind of made up for Hagrid's troubles.

"Where to, Miss McGonagall?" Hagrid asked.

She turned to see Hagrid coming in with the tree, Harry and Hermione with him. "By the Gryffindor House table, Hagrid. They are waiting to decorate it."

Harry smiled at her. "Nice to see everybody's getting into the spirit of things."

"It is. I'm hoping that this will change things a little," she said. "Even… her can't stop this."

That told Harry volumes. McGonagall was out for her blood. Harry discretely checked to make sure nobody was around.

"I can fix things to make her leave," Harry whispered.

McGonagall reacted to that. "You would frame her for something?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, before she does something to hurt any of us. She is capable of that."

McGonagall sighed. "Thank you for the offer, Harry, but no. We can wait her out."

Harry nodded. "As you wish."

McGonagall went to talk to Flitwick as he directed a few of the Ravenclaws in decorating their tree. Harry sat down at the tail end of the Gryffindor table and called for a cup of tea. Hermione joined him.

"Do you really want to frame her for something?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed as he rubbed his face. "We gotta get rid of that… thing before it destroys Hogwarts."

"I agree, Harry, but there's got to be a better way," Hermione said.

Harry sighed. "Then suggest something, please. I am entertaining the thought of stuffing her into a tiny box and sending her on a one way trip to the absolutely coldest place on Earth."

Hermione grinned at him. "Funny you should say that. I had the same thought, too."

"The sooner the better," Harry said.

Ron appeared and rushed up to Harry and Hermione. "You gotta see this! Umbitch is kicking Trelawney out of the castle! Filch has her trunks out on the grounds!"

Ron rushed back out. Harry turned to Hermione and both of them left the table and went to follow the crowd. Filch helping the Toad? They found a spot to watch and sure enough Trelawney was next to her trunks begging to stay while Umbridge mocked her. Harry watched as Filch dragged another trunk out and down the steps.

"You can't do this!" Trelawney screamed at Umbridge. "Hogwarts has been my home for years!"

"Oh but I can," Umbridge snarled at her. "It is my job to remove the useless bits from Hogwarts and to make it great again! As of now, Divination has been removed from Hogwarts."

"But I can teach other things!" Trelawney cried out.

Harry pulled a bit of paper from his pocket and wrote a quick note to Sirius. "Trelawney is getting kicked out of Hogwarts. Get her to safety, now!"

There was a slight tingling in his fingers and Harry blinked in shock as the note disappeared. He raised his head to see Umbridge laugh.

"You? Teach something else? I don't think so!" she laughed.

Trelawney glared at her. "I see the Grim stalking you! Your days here are numbered! Those you have wronged shall rise up against you! You can run to the Darkness but it will not protect you as it will cast you aside once it gets what it wants! And then… you will die!"

Harry shivered at that. If that was a prediction, it had to be for real. Harry glanced at Umbridge to see her reaction. Umbridge had gone pale, and then she came back with a red face and full of anger.

"Get out," she snarled, pointing to the road leading to the gates of Hogwarts.

Trelawney turned to her trunks and pointed her wand at them and they rose off the grounds. She started off past Umbridge, and then turned around.

"You will die a most hideous painful death at the hand of darkness," Trelawney spat, "nobody will miss you, and your Ancestors shall never welcome you. Filch will pay for his betrayal against Hogwarts."

She turned and headed off to the front gates. Harry turned to watch Umbridge but she had disappeared along with Filch. Harry pulled one of his disappearing acts and melted into the shadows. He found Trelawney and watched her go down to the gates where Sirius was waiting. He watched Sirius comfort her and he looked up to see Harry watching from the bushes. Harry nodded, and Sirius nodded back. Harry melted away into the darkness and went back to the castle. Now he would deal with Filch the first chance he got. It shouldn't be hard to find the man's rooms and leave a message for him.

The talk at dinner was very subdued. Harry listened very carefully and it seemed to him that it was being centered on today's events. There were a few staff members at the head table, Umbridge among them. But nobody sat with her. People were keeping their distance from her and Harry wondered just how long she would last. He had devised several ways to kill her, each method as gruesome as the last. Harry sighed. McGonagall had been right. If anything did happen to the Toad, he could very well come under fire as Umbridge and Fudge had marked him as a troublemaker. But McGonagall never said anything about pranking the bitch. Harry smiled as he thought of two people who would enjoy the challenge. He looked at Fred and George until they looked up at him. Harry sent them the secret signal to meet. Both of the smiled and he knew they would.

"So Mr. Potter," Fred grinned as they met in a dark shadow of a statue.

"We meet again," George chuckled in an evil manner.

Harry had to grin. "You guys make life fun round here, ya know?"

Both of the laughed out loud. "So what's on your mind?"

Harry grinned at them. "Prank the Toad. Embarrass her badly."

Fred and George looked at each other with very big grins on their faces. Harry had given them the word they wanted to hear the most. Harry was the first to sneak away. He observed Filch talking to the Umbitch and decided to follow him. He went where Harry had hoped he would and revealed his personal quarters. Harry slipped in after Filch left and looked around a bit. He slipped back out getting an idea of what he wanted to do. Filch would get his warning. First he needed some red paint and he went down to where he knew Hagrid kept all kinds of stuff as he was responsible for the upkeep of the grounds. Harry sighed as he entered the shed. The place was a big mess. Harry carefully maneuvered his way around things as he looked through everything within his grasp and finally found what he was looking for, red paint. It was in a small can, perfect for the job. Next to the can were small brushes. Harry took two of them and then headed back to the castle. Now all he needed to do was to wait for opportunity, and he got it almost immediately. He observed Filch working on something in a hallway and knew it would take him at least an hour to do it. Harry immediately raced to Filch's quarters and went in. Harry knew Filch was a squib, one born into a magical family unable to perform any kind of magic. Harry went to work with a brush and within fifteen minutes had the message done. He decided to leave one on the front door of his office as well. It would be a simple message, a single word, 'traitor' and he hoped it would get through to the decrepit old man. Harry left Filch's rooms and headed down to his office. He made sure the coast was clear and then painted the word on his door and then stepped back into shadow once he was done. Nothing happened for a few minutes and Harry sighed in relief. Nobody had seen him and that was good. He considered painting something on the Toad's front door and then decided not to. There was plenty of time and besides, Fred and George were going to start pranking the bitch this morning. Harry smiled. He knew the pranksters of Hogwarts would be joining the fun once the word got out that it was open season on her. Harry decided to keep the small can of paint in his quarters knowing it would be safe in there as the wards he cast along with Dobby's Elf wards would keep anything from getting taken. Harry then put in an appearance at dinner where he relaxed, pursued the evening edition of the Daily Prophet, made small talk with a few of his friends, and had a plate of broccoli beef with brown rice.

Filch came running through the doors just before dinner ended, looking distressed. He went straight for the head table and talked to Umbridge first, and then to McGonagall. It was interesting to watch him go from upset to pissed off, pounding on the table.

"Wonder what's got him all worked up?" Ron observed.

Harry calmly sipped his tea. "Something has. I'm sure we will find out before long. We always do."

"Someone should write a book about this place," Ron said. "Be a best seller."

Harry smiled at that as he watched McGonagall follow Filch out of the great hall. "I'd be willing to endorse it."

"So what are you planning on doing this evening?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed. "I'm in the mood to go up to Potter's Bar. Haven't been there for a time."

That sounded like a great idea so the group followed Harry up there and went in with him. Harry nodded to the crew of skeletons who played with him as he adjusted his guitar and started the opening notes to AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck', and the evening went from there. Harry didn't sing very much so one of the skeletons handled the vocals and Harry was fine with that. He just wanted to play guitar and have fun doing it. Harry played for nearly two hours and then relaxed with his friends talking about this and that. It was just a bit past curfew as he settled into his office chair. First thing he did was to check his Goblin Postbox for mail, and there were two letters, one from Sirius and another from Shizune. He read Shizune's letter first and it informed him of a DE they had been watching. This guy had been getting a lot of visitors over the last few weeks and naturally all of the visitors had been photographed and checked against the criminal database in England. A tiny few had come up. Harry tapped his bottom lip for a moment and then wrote back, suggesting that Sirius look at the stack of pictures and see what came up with him. He turned to Sirius' letter and it informed him that Trelawney was now a guest with the bird club, that Dumbledore had taken her in. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. At least Trelawney was protected now. Harry was sure that McGonagall knew by now. He wrote a quick thanks for the information and told him what he had done in regards to Filch and sent it off to Sirius. He headed off to bed, it had been a long day.

The great hall was buzzing the next morning with the news of the word 'traitor' appearing on Filch's office door and someone made the claim that a message had been written inside Filch's personal quarters with his cat's blood. Harry nearly fell off his seat with that one, but when the message had been repeated word for word, Harry knew that people had seen it and were telling other people about it. Umbridge looked like she was about to explode. Then she stood up and the hall slowly went quiet. She opened her mouth to speak and all that came out of it was a loud croaking noise. Harry blinked in shock. Not that he wasn't expecting. Umbridge got pissed and started pounding on the table with her right fist, croaking madly. All it took was one person to start laughing, and that set off the hall. What Harry didn't expect was Hagrid doing it. He was trying to contain his laughter but it got the best of him and soon the entire hall was laughing as well. Umbridge stormed out of the hall waving her fists. That became the subject of the day, especially when the suits of armor croaked when she passed one, and one of the suits even dared to slap her on her ass as she passed by, making her jump in shock. And then McGonagall sent for Harry. Harry had an idea what she wanted to talk about as he went to her office.

"There you are," she said when he knocked on her door. "Tea?"

Harry bowed and took a chair next to the small round table in the headmaster's office she now occupied as McGonagall took the other one.

"No thank you my lady," Harry said. "I appreciate the offer. How can House Potter be of service?"

McGonagall smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "You are a true gentleman, Harry. I do need to ask you about an incident that happened in Filch' personal quarters, Harry. I know you didn't do it, but I must ask. Did you leave a message for Filch on his living room wall?"

Harry looked at her straight in her eyes. "No, I did not. Any clue to who did it?"

"None, as there is no magical signature," she said.

Harry scratched his chin. "That means this person used muggle means to leave it for Filch."

"Filch seems to think you or one of the Weasley Twins did it," she said.

Harry leaned back in the overstuffed chair. "The twins are practical jokers to be sure, but even they know just how far to carry a prank, and this is no prank."

"I agree. I needed to ask you is all. Thank you Harry," she said.

Harry left the office a moment later.

Harry took his seat in the library late Wednesday evening with a book he had been trying to get through the last few days and now he had the opportunity to do so. It was a book that he needed to read for Dumbledork's history class and write something on it before the school left for Christmas Holidays. Harry was tired as classes had been running him ragged. He opened the book and picked up from where he left off and started reading. Normally his senses were sharp and alert, but because of his exhaustion he wasn't as alert as he should have been, and if he had been alert, he would have seen the person settling down at the base of a suit of armor, watching him. It didn't take long for Harry to start nodding off, and he'd snap to and reread that paragraph again. Eventually he lost the battle and his head dropped down as the book he was holding hit the floor. The person in shadow raised his/her wand and pointed it at him, casting something at Harry. Harry suddenly found himself standing in a dark hall, the same dark hall he had dreamed off twice before. Harry stepped backwards into a shadow before the man sitting there on a bench could see him. He turned his head slightly, and Harry recognized him as Arthur Weasley. Harry frowned. What the hell was going on here? Why was he here? Why was Mr. Weasley sitting here? Was he guarding something? Was he waiting for somebody? Harry watched the scene in front of him for a few minutes until something got his attention. Harry gasped at the size of the snake. It was huge! Not as big as a basilisk, but as big as a car tire? Harry really had nothing to go on to try and describe the snake. For something that big, it sure moved well. Harry wondered why it was here. Was the snake animagus? Backup for Mr. Weasley? The snake then rose up and hissed at the man. Mr. Weasley reacted by raising his hands to block it as he moved backwards but it was far too late and a poor defense. The snake struck, getting past Arthur's hands and chomping down hard on his left shoulder. Harry could see Mr. Weasley's eyes go wide and mouth open to scream but Harry heard nothing. Harry charged the snake but couldn't touch it. Mr. Weasley fell backwards and the snake landed on top of him and hissed once more before moving off, leaving in the direction it came from. Harry came to in a snap, his heart pounding, his chest heaving, and streams of sweat coming off his face. He knew he had to go to McGonagall. He raced out of the very dark library and into the hall, ignoring the paintings calling after him. Harry raced up the stairs to the third where he knew the headmaster's office was. He ran up to the gargoyle and it came to life in front of Harry. It stepped aside and Harry started up the stairs. He reached the door to the office and it swung open to reveal McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Sirius.

"Snake… attacked Mr. Weasley… in some dark hall… he's been hurt!" Harry gasped out.

Dumbledore looked at Harry. "Are you sure of this?"

"YES!" Harry roared, angry now. "DAMN SURE!"

Sirius put his hands on Harry's chest and back. "Harry…"

"Are you just going to stand there, Dumbledork?" Harry snapped. "Are you that fucking useless? Are you going to let a man die?"

Dumbledore glared at Harry and then turned to the row of paintings above his head. "Phineas, I need you to go and look. If he is injured, raise the alarm and then come back."

The much older man disappeared from his painting as Dumbledore turned back to Harry. "Please… tell us what it was you saw. No, wait. Miss McGonagall, the pensieve please. Harry, get those memories back up in your mind. I shall copy them and then play them out into the room for all of us to see."

Sirius eased Harry into a chair as the pensieve appeared onto the great desk in front of them. Harry closed his eyes and recalled the memory to the front of his mind and allowed Dumbledore to copy it. He watched the silvery strand drop into the liquid inside of the bowl and Dumbledore tapped a rune on the side of the bowl and the dream played back, start to finish. Dumbledore ran it forwards, backwards, in slow motion, and then frame by frame. A moment later Phineas returned.

"He's on the way to St. Mungo's, Albus. He looked like hell, his left shoulder was mangled up," Phineas reported. "The Aurors can't get anything out of him."

Dumbledore nodded. "I will head over there and see what I can do. Sirius, Harry, get the Weasleys out of here before… she gets a hold of them. Harry, I will need to talk to you later."

Dumbledore left the office as McGonagall turned to Harry and Sirius. "The floo system is being watched by her. You'll have to portkey out."

Sirius grinned. "Works for me. Harry, you get Ginny and I'll grab the boys."

Both of them raced for the stairs and then used a series of secret pathways to get to Gryffindor Tower.

"Harry," Sirius called, getting his attention, "the Doghouse for now. Go!"

Harry nodded and they got inside Gryffindor Tower. Sirius went up into the boy's dorms while Harry found Hermione on the couch, writing something.

"Harry, what?" Hermione began.

Harry caught his breath. "No time to explain. Go get Ginny and port to the Doghouse. Emergency, will explain later."

"Why the Doghouse?" Ginny asked as she appeared.

Harry grabbed her hand and Hermione's and mentally said the password to transport them to the Doghouse via the portkey function on the Potter Family Ring. They appeared in the Arrival Room at the Doghouse to see Remus pointing a wand at them and Keith backing him up with a shotgun.

"The Marauders Ride," Harry said and Remus sighed before standing down.

Keith put the shotgun back into the umbrella stand with a collection of umbrellas hiding it. He lit up and headed into the kitchen as Harry led the girls into the living room.

"Sirius is inbound with the Twins and Ron," Harry said and the warning chimes sounded just as a glow came out of the Arrival Room. Harry, Remus, Hermione, and Ginny drew their wands and pointed them into the Arrival Room. Sirius smiled and waved.

"Hi there! Kinda got lost on the road to life and ended up here."

Remus sighed. "You need to find a better line than that one, Mr. Padfoot."

Sirius herded the three Weasley brothers into the living room as Keith appeared with a tea service. Harry turned to Sirius and the man nodded. He returned with a pensieve and set it down on the table in front of everybody. Harry recalled the memory and Sirius copied it and dropped it in. Then he tapped the playback rune. The room fell silent as the memory played back. Keith was the first to speak.

"Bloody hell, that's one ruddy big one," he said, studying the frozen image of the snake.

The Weasleys turned to Harry. "How?"

Harry sat down in an overstuffed chair. "I don't know. I just don't know."

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. A moment later he conked out.

When Harry woke up sometime later, he found himself in a bed. Sirius must have brought him up here and put him to bed. Harry groaned as he sat up. His head hurt and he was hurting.

"Gotta stop these late nights," he groaned out loud.

He got out of bed and pulled a kimono around him and tied it up. He stuck his head out the door and then went into the bathroom in the hall. He took a quick shower and combed his hair back and tied it up in a ponytail. He got back into his kimono and left the bathroom. He pulled on a pair of shorts leaving the kimono in place and went downstairs. Sirius handed him a cup of coffee.

"How are you feeling?" Sirius asked.

Harry knocked back a quarter of the cup and sighed. "A little bit better now. I still feel like I've been run over by a pack of dinosaurs."

Remus chuckled at that. "Well, if it's any consolation, Arthur's out of danger. They managed to stop the bleeding and get the poison out of him. They've got him resting in the ICU ward because of his shoulder is still messed up. It's gonna be a while before he's able to start using his left arm. You did good, kid."

Harry sighed as he sat down at the kitchen table. "That's good. Hell of a way to start holiday."

Sirius appeared. "All of us have been invited to Grimmauld Place. Dumbledore wants to talk to you, Harry. I'm to be there to play referee."

Harry nodded. "What about…?"

"Umbridge?" Sirius asked and Harry nodded. "Amelia's shut her down for now. Can't guarantee what will happen back at Hogwarts, kid. Gotta tell you, Arthur can think fast when he needs to. He had a folder with him that was to be dropped off at one of the offices down there overnight and claimed he was going down there to drop it off before heading home after a very long day of chasing things and just got attacked. Everybody but Umbridge is buying it and Fudge had to get tough with her to drop it. He thinks getting the Weasley kids out of Hogwarts right then and there was a good move. Even Percy got taken into protective custody until they were sure that Arthur wasn't down there for any other reason other than to drop the file on the desk he had to."

Harry sighed in relief. "So he wasn't doing any spying?"

Sirius nodded. "None."

Harry leaned back in his chair. "Okay. We go visiting, and it it's safe for them to return to the Burrow, they go home."

Sirius nodded. "That's the plan, kid."

Harry stood up. "Has anyone had breakfast yet?"

"No, not yet," Sirius said.

Harry nodded and went to the coffee pot. Good. Give me an hour and I'll have breakfast up."

"You don't have to kid," Sirius said.

Harry nodded. "I know I don't have to but I want to."

"Okay then," Sirius said and backed out.

Harry cracked his knuckles and got started.

They left the Doghouse around one in the afternoon. Harry wasn't really looking forward to meeting with Dumbledore, preferring not to deal with him outside History of Magic, but he had no choice in the matter. They went as a group to Grimmauld Place and once they knew where to find it, they casually strolled up to the front door once it appeared and went inside. Harry felt like he had stepped back in time when he stepped inside. The place actually looked very nice. Molly Weasley was there and she hugged Harry thanking him for saving Arthur. Harry took a seat in the sitting room and sighed. Dobby popped up in front of him with a cup of tea.

"Dobby be looking after Master Harry," he looked at him with a serious look on his face. "Dobby thinks Master Harry is a great wizard for saving lives."

Harry gave him a slight smile. "Thank you for the tea, Dobby. You're a good man."

Dobby beamed as he popped away and returned with more tea for others. Harry sipped a little of it and placed it on the small table next to his chair. He looked around the room at people and things and wondered just how different his life would have been if his parents were still alive. He sighed and looked up as Sirius sat down next to him and nodded.

"He's just arrived. The Weasleys have gone to St. Mungo's," Sirius said.

Harry nodded and Dumbledore sat down in front of him. Moody took the chair to Harry's right as Snape stood behind Dumbledore. Harry's gaze shifted back to Dumbledore.

The only sound in the room was the ticking of a clock on the shelf behind Harry. Harry picked up his teacup and sipped from it and then put it down.

"Mr. Potter," Snape began.

Harry glared up at Snape. "It is Lord Potter to you, sir!"

Snape chuckled. "How arrogant. Just like his father."

"I am nothing like my father, sir. I do not chase pathetic little worms like you around Hogwarts or spend my time putting people down like you and your pathetic pack of baby snakes who are still in diapers," Harry snarled. "So you yourself a favor and shut that arrogant dirty filthy mouth of yours!"

Snape moved, only to find a wand in his face, having been drawn by Sirius.

"I don't think so Mr. Snape," Sirius smiled. "I can and will drag you sorry ass off to jail for attacking a minor who happens to be a lord of an Ancient and Noble House. No more job for you at Hogwarts."

Snape snarled at Sirius but backed down. Moody looked at Dumbledore and shook his head.

"I did tell you Albus, that bringing Snape with you was a bad idea. You need to muzzle him and put him on a leash or he's gonna be trouble for you someday," Moody said. He turned to Harry. "All we are interested in is how you are able to see all of this?"

"Something Remus and I have been asking ourselves," Sirius said.

Hermione appeared at Harry's right side holding a rather thick book. "I've been asking that question myself, Sirius. So I've been doing some research."

"And what have you discovered, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked.

Hermione smiled and then kicked off in teaching mode. "As we all know, Occlumency is the art of protecting one's mind and Legilimency is the art of looking inside a person's mind. Rumor has it that there are a very tiny few that know this branch of mind arts. The Idiot-Who-Must-Be-Named is one, and Professor Snape has been accused of it a few times by various individuals."

Snape snarled at that and Hermione smiled. "Ah, so you do admit to it. Thank you Professor Snape. Do feel free to add to the conversation if you so choose to. Now then, Occlumency. The practitioner of this art trains his or her mind to protect it's self from all intrusions that are aimed at the active areas of the mind in order to protect what the practitioner deems is very private thoughts containing information that the person wielding Legilimency wishes to obtain. In order to protect the mind the practitioner of Occlumency builds some kind of protective scheme inside the active areas on the mind. I'll use a building as an example. Inside this building I can make it into anything I wish, from a muggle office complex to a very complicated maze designed to trap the practitioner of Legilimency into. Oh, the spell to cast Legilimency is Legilimens. In order to be a practitioner of Legilimency, one must be an expert at Occlumency in order to learn how the mind works. Now based on what I've learned, I pose this question. Is it possible to cast Legilimens at a quiet part of the brain that isn't very active in order to insert that which the caster wishes for the person he or she is targeting to see what it is the caster wants them to see?"

Harry had to blink at all of that. Not only did Hermione manage to expose Snape as an Occlumency and a Legilimency user, but propose a way to enter a person's mind. Harry was so very happy that Hermione was on his side. Harry noted a flash of annoyance at what Hermione had just said in Dumbledore's eyes. That made Harry believe that Dumbledore was very capable of doing it too.

"A very interesting theory, Miss Granger," Snape snarled at her.

He was very pissed at her for exposing his abilities to use Occlumency and Legilimency to the room at large. Harry knew Hermione needed to be a lot more careful at Hogwarts now.

"Severus," Dumbledore said very quietly. "That is enough. Miss Granger has hit on a possible method that someone is using in an attempt to gain entry into Harry's mind and I must agree with her. It is very possible, Miss Granger. Well done. It is too bad we are on holiday as I would award you fifty points for discovering this. I must ask you Harry, do you practice meditation every day to work on protecting your mind?"

Harry nodded. "Every morning as part of my workout routine. Occlumency has helped me to organize my mind very well and allows me to recall information quicker than most people and it is very useful in class as I take the key elements of a lecture and commit it to memory, for example your lecture at the beginning of the year where you stated that we would be undertaking the study of very influential people in the magical world who have defended the magical world."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, well done in recalling that, Harry. Well done. I must ask you to never skip a day in making sure your mind is well protected, for if you should skip one day it would weaken your mind just a tiny bit and that would be disastrous. Now I wish to expound on Miss Granger's theory a bit in stating that the quiet part of your mind can be activated to place something into it that would make that part of your mind active, and from there just might be able to slip into the protected areas of your mind. You need to learn how to combat this while you are in your sleep."

Harry nodded. "Then I will make an effort to work on that."

"Very good, Harry. I wish to invite you to spend your holiday here with us," Dumbledore smiled.

Harry inclined his head. "So sorry, but I have made other plans. I wish you had spoken to me earlier in the month as I could have made some arrangement to be here. Perhaps another time. I do wish you a joyous holiday sir."

Harry rose from his chair with Sirius and Hermione joining him. The three of them walked to the front door and collected their jackets and Hermione slid the book back into her backpack. The three of them walked out the front door and into the daylight. They strolled down the block and then the three of them checked each other out to make sure nothing had been stuck to them at least several times and found nothing. Sirius grinned as they ported away.

Harry started his holiday fun by stopping a DE attack on a muggle family that night. Eight on one wasn't such great odds, but if you're a magical ninja it's not too bad. Harry took them out in just under three minutes before they could do any serious damage. Sirius followed up with doing the obliviate and reparo chores as Harry sent the remains back to Voldemort after getting the activation key from the leader before he passes on. Then from there it was to another location to take down another group. Before the night was over, Harry and Sirius had stopped at least four different attacks. Harry decided it was time to get proactive and find out just where Voldemort was hiding and blow the place down and hopefully take out a bunch of DE's with him. Keith was getting little bits here and there and while that helped it wasn't giving Harry what he needed, a major score. That however, changed one night when he encountered one of the major DE's that had escaped Azkaban when Voldemort broke everybody he wanted back out of there last summer. After some really hard fighting Harry managed to overcome the guy and used Legilimency to find out what he needed to know. Voldemort was hiding out in Riddle Manor in Little Hangleton. Keith went to work getting information on the area and dug up a lot.

"Interesting history here," Keith said as he talked to Harry and Sirius. "The Riddle Family used to be a prominent family there until about 1942 when one Frank Bryce was accused of killing them when a maid arrived at the house one morning and found them dead. The police could not figure out how the hell they died and Bryce was released. He continued to watch over the property as the house passed through several owners none of them ever going inside the place. As for all of the property the Riddles had, the state took it all once no heirs were produced. The house sits next to a graveyard that used to be Riddle land."

Harry sat up at that. "I'm willing to bet that's the same graveyard I met Tommy boy in."

"There's a road that runs past the house. The Graveyard is on the other side of that road. According to what I dug up, the Riddles owned that property and sold it off back in the mid 1930's because the land was unfit to farm on. They did buy a plot to be buried in, and that's where they are now," Keith said. "Nobody seems to know where they came from. They did have a lot of money, too. State took all of that too. The state tried to sell the house at auction for the longest time but with World War Two going nobody was interested in it. It finally sold back in later 1948 and since then it's been bouncing through a lot of different people. I'm trying to find the current owner now after having been sold for the last time back in 1982."

Harry scratched his chin for a moment. "Do you suppose that our good friend Lucius Malfoy bought the place thinking it might make a good hideout for Voldemort on the chance he was found and returned to a body?"

Sirius considered the question as Keith went back to his computers. "The only way to find out is to do a run down there. If by chance it is being used as an active base…"

Harry smiled. "We ruin his Christmas Holiday."

Next Episode: Harry and Sirius Go Visiting. Holidays with Friends and Family.


	11. Roasting DE's Over an Open Fire

Ninja Wizard V 11

By David

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and company, JK Rowling has that pleasure.

Author Notes: These marks () indicate Japanese spoken.

Ninja Wizard V 11

"Roasting DE's Over an Open Fire"

The plan was worked out over the next few days. Sirius and Harry would go there to investigate and if the DE's and Voldemort were there, they would take action. It was decided to take the train down there and rent a room for a few nights and go from there.

"I'll be back in time for Christmas love," Harry said to Hermione. "Have no worries about that. He's disrupted a lot of lives and now we have a chance to bring it to his front door."

Hermione nodded. "Just be careful, Harry."

Harry turned to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I will. We will. Sirius and I have every intention of coming back from this thing."

Hermione closed her eyes and sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder. Both of them had just started to realize their feelings for each other were running deeper than they knew. Harry wanted to get this thing done so that he and Hermione could enjoy their lives together. A knock on his bedroom door ended the moment.

"Yo!" Harry sang out and heard Sirius chuckle from the other side. "Come in, Mr. Padfoot."

Sirius stuck his head into the room and smiled at the tender moment Harry and Hermione were having. "Sorry to interrupt, but we need to get going."

Hermione kissed Harry and backed up. "For luck."

Harry grinned at her. "Thanks love."

Harry picked up his backpack and walked out the door behind Sirius. The three of them went downstairs to the living room and found Keith standing there with Remus.

"Nothing new other than what I told you earlier. I do have a program on my computers called Google Earth. I was able to get some shots of the grounds from it so here they are," Keith handed over a folder to Harry. "Look them over as I know they will be very helpful to you."

Harry tucked the folder away in his backpack as Sirius nodded.

"Nice work kid," Sirius nodded. "Everybody watch yourselves and we'll be back as soon as we can."

Harry and Sirius went out the door and headed down the street for the bus stop at the small strip mall a few blocks away. From there they would go to the nearest train station. They would ride the train all the way to Little Hangleton. Then they would get their room and start the job.

They got into their room mid afternoon. Sirius stretched out on his bed and sighed as Harry pulled a map of Little Hangleton out of his pack and spread it out on the table. He pulled a bit of paper out of his pocket and looked at it. It was the current address of the Riddle Mansion on it. He looked in the street index and found the proper box to look. Yeah, it was in the far end of town. You either had to drive or ride a bike out there. Harry pulled the folder of pictures that Keith had gotten for them and looked it over. Somebody hadn't been caring for the grounds as it looked overrun with bushes. Perfect cover for approach. Harry decided to take a ride out there and look it over in the daytime. He pulled a smaller bag out of the pack and put a couple of big bottle of hot tea in there and made sure his binoculars were in there, too. He glanced at Sirius who was currently snoring lightly. Harry smiled as he shook his head. He turned to the door after leaving a message on the mirror attached to the dresser in the room. He left the B&B and walked out into the very cold day. He turned and headed down the street keeping alert for trouble as it usually found him first. After walking for a bit, Harry got lucky and found an unattended bike. He looked around to see if there was anybody around and then hopped on it and rode off. Harry suddenly discovered why it had been abandoned. The hand brakes weren't working. Harry managed to stop the bike and risked using reparo to fix the brakes. Nothing happened. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and got back on. Harry did look around as he pedaled out to the Riddle Mansion. Little Hangleton didn't look like much. Just a couple of houses, stores, a school, and one church. That was it. It was mostly light woods and nothing else. Harry kept going until he crested the hill overlooking the Riddle Mansion. He pulled the bike into the thick brush and pulled his binoculars and began surveillance. Within the hour he knew everything he needed to know about the property after having looked at it from all angles from a distance. He found the perfect entry point and the perfect vantage point for Sirius to watch from. Harry retreated.

0130 hours. Sirius watched through the night vision binoculars and marveled once more just how great muggle technology was.

"Too bad the idiot named Fudge won't let us use stuff like this. Make our jobs easier," Sirius grumbled.

He watched Harry moving cautiously through the thick brush on the grounds and grinned. "You sure make it look so easy way you go sneaking and peeking like that, kid."

Then he saw a DE approach a bush that Harry was hiding behind. Suddenly the man was gone. Sirius blinked and then looked back through the binoculars. He was sure he'd seen the man there a moment ago. Did he apparate somewhere else? Sirius saw Harry move away from that bush and into the cover of another one. Another DE appeared, and this time Sirius saw Harry pop up, grab the guy by his head, yank on it real hard, and then drag the DE behind the bush. Sirius grinned. So that's what happened to the first one! He wondered if Harry could teach him some of that. He looked back through the binoculars and watched Harry take out two more before slipping in the house through a broken window. Sirius settled down and sipped some hot tea. He knew it would be some time before Harry came out. Harry crouched down deep into the shadows of a corner and listened to the sounds of the house. He could hear a lot of breathing going on and he knew there were at least four DE's in the room he had just entered. He reached into his pack and withdrew an antipersonnel mine. Settling it up was easy. Put the side that told you to point at the enemy. Harry was glad that Sirius and Remus had come up with a way to protect the electronics against magic so they would work properly. He set that in a corner and moved to another corner and set up a second one. Harry them moved through the house, setting up the explosives as he went. He took out the DE's that were a potential threat to him. Harry went into the basement area and he set up the explosives that would implode the house on top of the bad guys. Once that was done Harry went looking for Voldemort and his pet snake and didn't find them. Harry had a feeling he had gone out for the night. Oh well, at least he could take out the DE's base of operations and a bunch of them as well. Harry left the house by a different window after making sure he set the explosives in that room. As he left the property Harry took out four more DE's. They never saw it coming until it was far too late. Harry went to a safe point from where he could watch the house going down. Harry pulled a DE wand he stole to trigger the explosives if the detonator didn't work. Harry thumbed the switch, and the House of Riddle was no more.

The basement explosives went first, destroying the load bearing beams. As the center of the house began to drop, the other explosives Harry planted went off, shredding the DE's into nothing as they made the mistake of jumping up from the floor where they had been sleeping and getting caught in the explosions of the anti personnel mines. Harry watched to make sure none of them escaped as the house came down. Harry made a point to alert the ninja network to be alert once Voldemort saw what happened here. He knew he'd want revenge in the worst possible way and Harry was determined to make sure he never got it. Harry retreated further into the brush as he knew his job was done. He found Sirius at the watching post Harry had set up earlier in the day. Sirius grinned at him.

"Nice job kid," he said, patting Harry on the back. "This should put us up on the scoreboard."

Harry observed the now burning house through the binoculars. "No fire department yet?"

"I think we're a bit too far out into the boonies for them to respond," Sirius said. "Not only that, those thick trees over there acted like a sounding board, making the sound go up after hitting them."

"It would sound like a sonic boom from a jet passing overhead," Harry grinned.

Sirius grinned. "It would. Now let's get out of here."

Harry and Sirius moved out and were in their room before long. Harry took a hot shower and then settled into bed. Sirius was already asleep. Harry decided to sleep for about two hours and then write his after action report for the others to read when he got home. He yawned and then rolled over. He smiled as he pictured Voldemort's reaction. He was sure he'd be really pissed. Voldemort was pissed. Beyond pissed. The night hadn't gone too well for him as the four raids he had planned didn't turn out so well as more of those people in black had appeared and disrupted things for him, taking out at least ten of his DE's. Rather than try and fight them, all four raiding parties managed to get out of there with a majority of people. Now they were trembling in fear as they stood there watching Riddle Mansion burn down. Voldemort turned to look at one of the DE's next to him and the man bowed.

"I would be honored to have you as a guest at my humble home, Master," the man said.

Voldemort nodded, and the DE's popped away. Voldemort would find out who had done this, and they would pay. Oh yes, they would pay for the insult directed at him. He wrapped the huge snake around him and then popped away just as the first fire engine arrived, having gotten the call far too late.

Harry and Sirius heard the talk around the dining room of the little café they had gone to for breakfast the next morning. Harry sipped tea while Sirius had a mug of robust coffee while waiting for breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and English muffins to show up. The stories of the Riddle Family were repeated as well as Frank Bryce having disappeared from there circulated round the dining room. Sirius got drawn into one conversation with an older couple and they told Sirius everything they knew. Sirius played the perfect listener, saying all of the right things at the right times. Harry took the time to enjoy his breakfast as Sirius talked to people around him. They finally got out of there an hour later.

"Who knows what you can learn from other people when you are in a restaurant eating a good meal?" Sirius said as they got into the rental to head back to the train station.

Harry looked to Sirius. "Find out anything interesting?"

"Quite a bit about the Riddle Family History," Sirius said. "They certainly were not well liked, for one. They were miserly, always taking advantage of other people's misery, and they didn't have any other family other than their son Tom, who was Voldy's daddy. If there were other relatives, they have passed on. It was just the three of them. Frank Bryce was the last of that family as I've heard it told. The help that they had working for them have since gone onward."

Sirius pulled out into traffic and drove out of Little Hangleton towards the train station in the bigger city they had gotten off the train in.

"I didn't find any intel in there to indicate what they might be up to," Harry sighed. "I was kind of hoping to. Didn't find any muggle things either."

Sirius nodded. "Then that kind of cements the theory that not all of the DE's are using muggle means to communicate with others."

"It's the muggle born DE's that are doing it," Harry said. "The pureblood DE's don't use it because they have no idea just what they are and how to use them."

Sirius grinned. "Very good Harry. I think we're now on the right track here. Now we look for his new hiding place and take that out. I'm kind of hoping he goes to Malfoy Mansion. I'd enjoy blowing that one up. Never did like that blond ponce."

Harry had to grin at that one. "Him and his little puppet named Draco."

Both of them shared a laugh at that one.

True to Harry's word, he was home two days before the Christmas Eve. Harry checked in with Hermione and then went to the Japanese Embassy where he knew his Japanese family was waiting for him. He passed through security and headed for the apartments where he knew his family would be. The only person he found was Miyoshi playing on the xbox that he had gotten last Christmas.

(Hello there little brother,) Harry said as Miyoshi opened the front door.

The little boy's face lit is in joy as he pounced on Harry, knocking him over as the escort smiled.

(Oh my, I've been attacked by a wild ferocious tiger!) Harry exclaimed as Miyoshi had been wearing his tiger outfit. (Whatever shall I do?)

Harry's escort laughed out loud. (Perhaps if you feed him ice cream he just might be your friend.)

Harry laughed out loud at that. (Sounds like a great idea! Hey wild and ferocious tiger, I'll get you some ice cream if you promise not to eat me?)

Miyoshi's eyes grew bright at the mention of ice cream. (Okay!)

Harry carried Miyoshi into the apartment as the escort closed the door behind them and walked off with a smile on his face. Dealing with Miyoshi was one of the fun parts of his job. Harry dropped his pack on the couch and put Miyoshi on one of the stools at the counter and listened to him rattle off everything he had been doing since he saw Harry last. Harry located the ice cream and served it out to himself and Miyoshi. Harry listened to him talk as he ate his ice cream. Shizune found both of them relaxing on the couch playing a racing game on the xbox when she came in. Harry hugged her and she was glad to see him again.

(Ichiro is out with your father working a problem,) she explained.

Harry knew what they meant. (Won't be much of a problem to fix then.)

Harry glanced down at Miyoshi. (Hey wild one, I'm gonna talk to Mom in the kitchen, okay?)

(Okay!) Miyoshi said as Harry led Shizune into the kitchen.

Harry offered her a cup of tea and they both sat down at the kitchen table and began to talk about the last few months, picking up from where his last letter had left off. He told her of the operation he had undertaken against Riddle House and she nodded her approval.

(Then we have forced him out into the open. He will start making mistakes, and we will catch him,) Shizune said.

Harry grinned. (That was the idea. Keith did find information on a possible inner circle member we can go after and hopefully he can lead us to Voldemort's new hiding place.)

(Daddy!) they heard Miyoshi yell from the living room as the front door opened.

Harry smiled and walked into the living room to find Miyoshi climbing up Kotake. Ichiro saw Harry coming into the living room.

(Tadeo! Welcome home brother!) Ichiro said as he went over to Harry and hugged him. (You look well. It is good to see you.)

Harry grinned as he hugged Ichiro. (I am well, my brother. It is good to see you.)

He turned to Kotake and bowed. (Father, it is good to see you.)

Kotake smiled. (Welcome home, my son.)

Shizune came into the living room. (It is time for dinner.)

Kotake put Miyoshi down and they went to clean up for dinner.

After dinner they gathered in the living room and Harry told them of what he had been doing since he'd seen them last. Miyoshi eventually dropped off to sleep and Shizune carried him off to bed. Now Harry was free to talk and once she returned, Harry was able to tell them the things he couldn't say in front of Miyoshi. The three adults frowned as Harry told them of Umbridge and showed them the scars he had on the back of his hand.

(This woman has become a threat,) Kotake declared.

Harry nodded. (I know. That's why I've set up my own organization to fight back. I don't know if they are reacting to the things that Dumbledore has done in the past, as the Lady McGonagall has worked tirelessly to improve things at Hogwarts. She wants to eliminate the useless classes and start classes that would be much more effective but Umbridge is blocking her at every turn. A lot of us in my group think that she is out to destroy Hogwarts completely. We do have ideas, but no real evidence to confirm our suspicions.)

(Hmmm. This is not good. Well, for now help us in taking down these gutless bastards. The Dark Magic detector we have built in the Wizarding Affairs Office has been extremely effective in helping us find these DE's and stopping them. A number of our magical ninjas have been very effective against the DE's in recent months, especially in the weeks after Voldemort's rebirth. Since you took out his hiding place they have been a bit more active than usual but out ninja have been much more effective in stopping them,) Kotake said.

Harry smiled. (Of course our friends are very effective against them. Nobody can beat a Kokura Ninja.)

Ichiro grinned at that. (Very true, my brother. We are a step ahead of them at the moment, and it's a good thing. But sooner or later he is going to come out of the darkness to attack. Do you have a plan for that?)

Harry sighed as he crossed his arms. (My feeling is that sooner or later he will attack the Ministry, the Wizarding hospital, and Hogwarts. My friend Ron is good with strategy as he plays a lot of chess. He has volunteered to come up with a plan to defend Hogwarts should that ever happen. We think that Voldemort is already slowly taking over the ministry as he has somebody very high up moving his people in place one at a time. I believe he's doing it through somebody in Fudge's office. I believe his time is short as he's been marked for death. How I know this I just don't know, I just do.)

Kotake growled. (Not good. I have looked into the Riddle Family and found nothing of interest as there were just three of them back in the 1940's. There was no mention of a grandson by the name of Tom Riddle and that leads me to believe that Voldemort has been part of the Wizarding world ever since he was invited to go to Hogwarts by Dumbledore. The orphanage where he grew up has been shut down and the building is gone due to a fire that happened there some years ago. Nobody died thanks to the quick actions of the nuns who lived there. According to the official report nobody knows how it got started so it was ruled an act of God.)

(No,) Harry said firmly. (It was Voldemort. He's been trying to cover up his existence to keep people from finding out anything.)

(I agree,) Shizune said. (That is why it is even more important to find out what we can so we can discover a weakness.)

Harry nodded. (I suspect the Dumbledork knows things but he's holding those secrets very close to him, waiting for the right time to step forward with them.)

(A sound tactic for someone to use,) Ichiro said. (Especially after he lost so much to you.)

Harry sighed. (He'd tell me that he would be willing to share things he knows if I recant everything and return him to power. That is something I am not willing to do.)

(We will continue doing what we can until he makes his move. From what you are telling me of your dreams about this room inside the ministry, he will not do anything until he gets what he wants from in there. As to how you are having these dreams, I have consulted other wizards and they seem to think that someone is attacking a small part of your mind that isn't protected, hoping to find some tiny little crack to get inside the protected areas,) Kotake said.

(We developed that same theory, too. I've made an effort to try and protect my whole mind but from what I understand it's very difficult to do. Hermione thinks that someone is trying to get me to go there and find whatever is behind that door and bring it out for them,) Harry said.

Kotake nodded. (That is very possible. So what do you plan on doing?)

(Sirius is making an effort to get me inside that area and see what is there. The only people who are allowed beyond that door are people called Unspeakables, kind of like the Japanese Secret Service. They answer to nobody,) Harry said. (They won't hesitate to do what needs to be done. Even Sirius respects them.)

(Perhaps Sirius should reach out to them and see if they are willing to share information and work with us,) Shizune said.

Harry nodded. (Never thought of that. I'll tell Sirius that the next time I see him.)

Harry yawned and stretched. Kotake glanced at the clock.

(It is late. Time we were in bed,) he said.

Harry bowed. (Then I bid you all a good night.)

The impromptu meeting broke up as everybody headed to bed.

Harry spent the day before Christmas getting his presents to everybody all wrapped up and Helping Shizune in the kitchen. The plan was for a big Christmas at the Granger House in the early afternoon. Miyoshi was all hyped up and Harry finally decided to take his younger brother out on the grounds for a bit of fun. As Harry got Miyoshi all wrapped up against the cold, Shizune popped up from out of the kitchen and handed Harry a list.

(Could you go to the store and get me these items? Take your brother with you he needs to blow off some of that youthful energy,) she smiled.

Harry grinned as Miyoshi got excited. (Sure. I can do that.)

Shizune went back to the kitchen and Harry turned back to Miyoshi. He got the little boy ready and then he got himself ready. Outside the embassy Harry put Miyoshi on his shoulders and was glad he worked out with weights every day. The little one was getting bigger every time he saw him. People around them smiled as they played a game of directions. Harry would ask Miyoshi what direction they were supposed to go in and Miyoshi would tell him no and point in the right direction and Harry would go off in the opposite direction, getting Miyoshi to laugh out loud as they went off to the stores. Once at the store Harry put Miyoshi back on his feet and the little boy grabbed onto Harry's belt once he saw the crowds in there. Harry simply shook his head and silently gave thanks for having found everything he was giving people in the months previously. They managed to get through the crowds and get what Shizune needed and back out again. Miyoshi looked back and shuddered.

(They're crazy,) he said, pointing to the people trying to get inside.

Harry sighed. (That's why I did all of my shopping early.)

They got hot chocolate from a street vendor as they headed back. Miyoshi stopped before a bell ringer and put a couple of pounds in the man's bucket. The man looked at Miyoshi and nodded.

"Mighty kind of you young man," he said. "Now the homeless will get much needed things."

Harry smiled as Miyoshi walked back to him. (Good job, little brother.)

Miyoshi beamed up at Harry and they moved on. Getting back to the apartment, Miyoshi handed Shizune the packages she needed as he told her of their adventures. She smiled at him and patted him on the head. Harry popped up in the kitchen.

(Is there anything I can do for you Mom?) he asked.

Shizune thought for a moment. (No there isn't.)

(Okay, I'll take Miyoshi down to the recreation room for a few hours,) he said.

She looked pleased. (That would help. Thank you.)

Miyoshi led the way and once they got there broke away from Harry and found his friends and started playing with them. Harry decided to get in a workout as long as he was down here and went into the locker room and changed into shorts and a t shirt. He came out and saw Miyoshi playing in the jungle gym area, several adults watching. Harry turned to the weights and went to work.

Christmas Eve Harry joined a team of ninja in the Wizarding department for his shift. The board was quiet until about ten when several signals went off, signaling DE activity. Harry responded to the one in Little Whinging, Surrey, where his former uncle and aunt lived. Harry apparated there to find a pair of DE's standing watch as three other DE's were trying to set a house on fire. Harry recognized it as number three Wisteria, the home of Arabella Figg, a lady he had met in the summer he had stayed with his so called relatives. Harry popped out of the dark, surprising the two DE's standing there. Harry flew past them, slicing open their throats with small blades he had concealed in his hands and then switching to throwing stars to get the three DE's. One of the DE's managed to alert the three trying to set the house on fire and they attacked. Harry went into attack mode and got one of the DE's with well thrown stars. That one went down as the other two snarled at Harry.

"We brought a little surprise for you," one said.

Harry had a sudden bad feeling as the DE cackled. A moment later four very deranged werewolves popped out of nowhere and charged Harry. Harry simply reacted, calling up his silver forged short swords and charging them. Harry took out the first one as he seriously wounded the second one. The two DE's turned back to the house and before they could do anything Harry was right there, kicking both of them away from the house right into the arms of the two remaining werewolves. One of the DE's got shredded up badly in seconds as the other one managed to fire the AK into the chest of the one coming after him. He missed by scant inches but it was enough to get that werewolf to back off. Harry used the opportunity to charge and the DE that was shredded up was falling backwards as the razor sharp tip of Harry's left handed sword caught the edge of the DE's neck, opening up the major blood vein. The left handed sword continued to move from right to left, going into the front of the werewolf's neck opening it up as the right handed sword plunged into the heart, killing him instantly. Harry didn't stop, continuing to move as he went after the DE and the werewolf that was left. The DE turned, choosing to try and protect himself from the remaining werewolf, thinking he could get that one before taking on Harry, but Harry knew better, having talked to Remus a number of times about a werewolf's fighting capabilities. It would take more than just a simple spell to take a werewolf down, you had to really open him up in order to kill him. Harry wasn't sure that the AK would do the job and he wasn't about to find out. The DE was far enough out of the reach of the werewolf so he managed to fire off the AK point blank range into the chest, and it was enough to knock it back, really pissing it off. Harry changed targets from the DE to the werewolf. As Harry went after the Werewolf, the DE laughed at Harry.

"Have fun!" and he apparated away just as the werewolf charged.

Harry used the left handed sword to block a claw strike, the sword sliding through the fingers, making the werewolf scream out in pain, enraging it even more. Harry flipped over it, dragging both swords over the shoulders in an effort to damage the arms. He landed on his feet and charged just as the werewolf turned around. This time Harry was able to use the left handed sword to slice open the neck while the right handed sword struck true into the heart. The werewolf dropped. Popping sounds alerted Harry and he faded back into the dark shadows. Albus Dumbledore strode forward as Arabella Figg came out of the house. Harry breathed a sigh knowing she was safe now. Harry turned and jogged around to the hack of the house and out of range of the anti-apparation and anti-portkey wards the DE's had put up prior to their attack and apparated back to the wizard department deep inside the Japanese Embassy. His night was over.

Harry rolled over and peered through bleary eyes at the very excited little boy jumping up and down on his bed the next morning. Harry swept Miyoshi's feet out from underneath him and the little boy laughed out loud as he landed on the bed next to Harry. Harry glanced at the clock. Six in the morning. Way too early. He pulled Miyoshi into him and used his thumb on a nerve point to calm Miyoshi down and get him to go back to sleep. Once the hyper little boy was asleep again, Harry settled down and went back to sleep for another two hours. When he woke up at eight Miyoshi was still sleeping. He smiled at his little brother and very carefully got out of bed and went to take care of business before going into the kitchen and starting up the coffee and the tea pots. He got his cup of coffee once it was done and jumped out of the way as a very excited Hiroshi came into the kitchen for his cup of coffee. He sighed once he got his first taste of the coffee.

(Now that's good,) he said as he joined Harry at the kitchen table. (Heard you had quite the night last night.)

Harry sighed. (I did. Christmas Eve, you would think the DE's would stay at home, but noooo, they had to go out and try to ruin somebody's holiday. I encountered five DE's and four very deranged werewolves. I managed to take them out before the Dumbledork and his friends showed up. The location I went to was the house of a lady I had met when I went to my dear loving relatives one summer that turned out to be a mistake.)

Hiroshi nodded. (You were victorious, Tadeo. You saved a life and potential more lives that could have been threatened by those dishonorable dogs.)

Harry nodded as he reached for a small rice ball and bit into it. Hiroshi took another sip of coffee and then frowned.

(Where is your brother, the Wild One?) he asked.

Harry smiled. (He attacked me this morning about six, so I retaliated and took him down and put him back to sleep.)

The old man laughed quietly. (You were the same way when you were his age. Ichiro did the same thing with you, stopping you and then getting you to go back to sleep for a few hours more. Five in the morning is just too early to get up.)

A small voice piped up right then. (Big brother! Why did you stop me from getting you up?)

Harry leaned over and looked at a grumpy Miyoshi, the little boy had his arms crossed in front of him and looked very put out.

(Because six in the morning is just a bit too early to wake up little brother,) Harry smiled at him, ruffling up his bed hair. (Now go comb out your hair and come back here. I'll have your tea and some food ready for you as we wait for the others, okay?)

(Okay,) the little boy grumbled as he dashed off for the bathroom.

Hiroshi laughed again as Harry smiled. (Some things never change.)

Harry sighed and went back to his coffee. A few minutes later Ichiro walked into the kitchen and headed for the coffee pot.

(The Wild One up yet?) he asked.

Harry nodded. (Woke me up at six, so I managed to put him down for another two hours. He's up now.)

Ichiro grinned as he joined Harry and Hiroshi at the kitchen table. (Yip. Sounds like him.)

Harry looked up as Shizune entered the kitchen with Miyoshi behind her.

(Good morning Mother,) Harry and Ichiro greeted her while Hiroshi raised his coffee mug.

Shizune smiled. (Good morning. Has Miyoshi had anything yet?)

(No. I was going to give him a bit of tea and something to nibble on,) Harry said.

Ichiro snorted at that and Shizune looked at him in that way she did and Ichiro blushed. She turned to the counter as Miyoshi took his place at the kitchen table and waited for his food. Kotake walked in a moment later and joined them at the table. Now they could start the day.

Harry sighed as he sat on the smaller couch as he watched Miyoshi play with the Transformer toys Harry had gotten him. His mind drifted as he did the what ifs again and wondered what his life would have been like if Voldemort had never happened. He was sure he would be with his parents in their house enjoying a happy Christmas with them. But life happened the way it did and there was nothing he could do about it except to carry on as he always had. He liked his life now and he loved the people that gave him a home to be in and he would always appreciate that. He sipped a bit more of his tea and turned his attention back to Miyoshi as he played with his new toys. Then an owl appeared from nowhere and dropped a letter into his lap and disappeared again. Harry cast spells on it to check it for anything suspicious and discovered it was from Neville. He opened it.

"Harry, just a quick note to thank you for the books and the Bonsai tree you sent me for Christmas. Gran likes it and thinks it's a very interesting plant. Gran wished to thank you for the Waterford Crystal you sent her with the Longbottom Family Coat of Arms etched onto them. Hope you're having a Happy Christmas. Neville," Harry read.

He smiled as he folded it and dropped it onto the table next to him. He'd have to send Neville a note later to thank him for the book of Dueling Champions of the Wizarding World as Harry had often wondered who they were having heard of them. Harry sat up as a thought struck him. Would they be willing to help defend the Wizarding World against the DE's if they were asked? Harry resolved to approach them and talk to them after discussing it with Sirius and getting his opinion. Harry stood up and stretched, feeling things pop in his body. He pulled his wand and used it to gather up all of the torn Christmas wrap into a ball and then into a trash bag. He gathered the bows and stuck them into another bag for Shizune as she saved them for the next year. Harry put the trash bag by the washing machine in the service area and checked the time. He went into the kitchen to find Shizune working in there.

(Anything I can do to help?) he asked.

Shizune turned and smiled. (No Tadeo, thank you for asking.)

(Okay. I'm gonna go hit the shower then,) Harry said.

Harry turned and headed into the bathroom.

Harry glanced at the bit of parchment he held in his hand that Hermione had given him when he arrived at the Grangers for Christmas Dinner. Hermione had told him that Dumbledore had been there looking for him and wanted her to give it to him.

"He was most polite this time," she said. "Daddy wouldn't let him in and he simply asked for you and I said I hadn't seen you. He asked me to give you this, and I checked it very carefully after taking it. There's nothing there."

Harry nodded and then opened the letter, seeing Dumbledore's familiar handwriting.

"Harry, I must inform you that Arabella Figg who lives close by your relatives was attacked last night by five DE's and what looks like four werewolves. I am telling you this as she lives very close to your aunt and uncle who live around the corner from her. I believe she was targeted because she is a squib, born into a magical family but incapable of doing magic. As I am unable to protect you I must ask you to please be careful in what you do and where you go as you could be attacked at any moment. I do wish you a Happy Christmas. Albus Dumbledore," Harry read.

He folded up the letter and stuck it into his pocket. He crossed his arms and started out the window for a moment as Hermione leaned into him.

"I know she had been attacked last night because I was there," he said and then told her what happened last night. "My brothers have been very active as of late and so far it has been just groups of four, five, six, and sometimes seven DE's. Last night was the first time they used werewolves against somebody, and Fudge better wake his ass up or someone will get killed. So far the clan has managed to keep people from getting killed. We have been lucky so far."

Harry turned to Hermione. "This is why we need to figure out a way to get rid of the toad so we can secure Hogwarts and teach everybody defense. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's gone over to the enemy and is actively working for them, and not just for Fudge. I've been working on a theory, and it goes something like this. Umbridge has an agenda in mind. She wants to be the one to control Hogwarts so that Dumbledore can be brought to heel. Once he has been neutralized by her, she then can mold Hogwarts into something she wants. She is more or less the number two person at the Ministry just under Fudge. Since she has tasted power at Hogwarts, she is now actively working against Fudge. She has him distracted by something while she moves people around inside the Ministry very discretely, and they are either DE's or DE sympathizers. Once they are in place she will stage some kind of coup to take over and become the Minister of Magic. Once that happens, then Voldemort will have won as she will literally hand over Wizarding England to him. From there he will be able to attack the other countries without any kind of resistance from anybody once they know England is under his control. We need to stop her from doing that."

"Harry, are you… suggesting that… you kill her?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed. "I've thought about it. Have you ever noticed that she's constantly has her wand in hand? That tells me she is ready to fight at a moment's notice. I've used my ninja senses to probe her defenses, and she has some kind of protection around her that's fairly strong to protect her. It would take some work to get through those defenses to take her down. Not impossible to overcome them, just a bit difficult. Even more reasons why we need the defense club. The defensive and offensive spells we are learning are not strong enough to break her defenses. The kind of spells that Voldemort and the DE's have are strong enough to break through. Fudge believes she's working to weaken Hogwarts and she is, but not for Fudge. She's doing it for Voldemort, and I think he's the one that has given her that kind of protection. What I need you to do is to start researching really hard hitting spells that is capable of weakening those protections so I can defeat the bloody wanker and put him down for good."

"I'll do it," Hermione said. "We can introduce those spells to the group once we get back to Hogwarts in January. We do need to step up."

Harry sighed. "Enough shop talk. Let's go enjoy the festivities."

Both of them rejoined the group in the living room.

Voldemort's Lair, unknown location, England.

Voldemort sat in his throne like chair, looking out at all of the DE's present in the room. All of them knew he wasn't happy. He hadn't said anything just yet, and it was that silence they scared the hell out of them all. Finally his gaze stopped at one DE.

"So, out of the six groups that I sent out last night, only you was able to return," he said softly. "Now, why is that?"

The man trembled, clearly scared out of his mind. "Because they missed me?"

"And how did they miss you?" Voldemort asked.

The man swallowed hard. "My unit leader ordered me to stay in hiding and cast my spells from there, my Lord. I did as I was ordered, and managed to set the fire that destroyed the wizard house after trapping the people inside while the others battled the people in black."

Voldemort nodded and bade him to continue.

"These people in black… they were so fast… there one second and gone the next… they killed our brethren with some kind of strange magic… I do not know how… the unit with the four werewolves were put down very quickly… I was able to find out from our friend in the Aurors… he was there at the Figg house… he followed Dumbledore there… apparently Dumbledore knows the squib woman… do not know why, my Lord, I am trying to find out!" he bowed deeply, his head down so he would not see the green spell of death coming at him.

"This man you know, would he be able to find out who destroyed my house?" Voldemort asked.

The man nodded. "I have asked him… to try and find out… he told me Dumbledore was most upset about it… Dumbledore thinks it may cause you to retaliate against innocents," the man said.

"Then go and talk to him," Voldemort commanded him. "Have him find out about this Figg woman and find out who destroyed my house to I can visit upon him a most painful death."

"By your command, my Lord!" the man said and slowly backed away and then fled the room.

Voldemort then looked around the group and dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Only two remained behind. Voldemort turned to them.

"Lucius, Snape, come to me," he bade them and both men approached him. "I must know how your efforts are going in attempting to penetrate that room. I must see that prophecy!"

"The attack upon Arthur Weasley was not completely successful, my Lord. He was found a short time after Nagini attacked him. He yet lives," Lucius reported. "My agent was not able to get inside that room. He is at the moment attempting to turn one of the Unspeakables to our cause. I am to meet with him after the New Year. My agent has informed me the man has fallen into financial difficulties. I am planning to play upon that opportunity."

Voldemort smiled. "Very good, Lucius. Snape?"

Snape bowed. "My Lord. The boy I have given the task to has reported numerous successful attempts to place the images of the room in Potter's head. I have provided him with images of Sirius Black to use in the next phase of the operation. If Lucius is successful in turning the Unspeakable our way, that would certainly help us gain access to the place. Once Potter goes in there it will be fairly easy to tag him with a tracker so that we can follow him wherever he goes in there, hopefully into the place where the Prophecy is stored. If Lucius is able to get the Unspeakable to assist Potter in getting it, so much the better. Then we shall take possession of it."

"Both of you have done well. Now send the woman in," he said.

Snape and Lucius bowed and left the room. Snape paused in the hall.

"Our Lord wishes to see you," he snarled to a short, squat toad like woman.

She smiled brightly. "Thank you Severus. I shall see you back at the school."

Snape glared at her as she entered the throne room of Lord Voldemort.

Next Episode: Umbridge Begins to Clamp down. Resistance Begins.


	12. The Inquisitorial Squad

Ninja Wizard V 12

By David

Author's Notes: these marks ( ) indicate Japanese spoken. See my profile for further details.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling has that pleasure.

Ninja Wizard V 12

"The Inquisitor Squad"

Returning to Hogwarts was the one thing Harry Potter always enjoyed. To see the castle lit up brightly always made him feel good. But not this evening. He stood in the hall and looked up at the new notice on the board just outside of the great hall. Umbridge had finally done it. She had finally taken the last step in removing McGonagall from her place as master of the school. Harry worked to keep the rage he was feeling from overcoming him. To make matters worse, Draco Malfoy popped up next to him with a bright cheery smile on his face.

"Hello Potter!" he laughed. "Reading the good news? Madame Umbridge is the new headmistress here now! Oh, and that's not the only change. I am now in charge of the Inquisitor Squad! We are the ones who are to be her eyes and ears around here now. Even the prefects and the head boy and girl answer to us! Isn't that great?"

He walked away laughing and Harry really worked on controlling his temper. He knew now it was just a matter of time before things really went out of control. He followed Hermione in and found his crew sitting at the tail end of Gryffindor house table.

"We saw," Ron whispered to him. "We definitely have our work cut out for us now."

Harry nodded, knowing it was the truth. "Just be cool for a day or two and we will find out just which way the wind is blowing, and then we work up a plan of action. The club continues until we get burned by her as our luck is bound to run out sometime. I am going to teach right up to the very last second."

Ron grinned at him as Harry looked at the others. He glanced up at the head table and didn't see McGonagall there. Snape had a proud look on his face and Harry knew he had gone over to Umbridge. Filch looked just as pleased and Harry knew his little warning had been neutralized now that Umbridge was running the show. Umbridge took the platform and stood at the podium. The hall grew quiet.

"I have been named the new headmistress of Hogwarts," she announced.

There were gasps of surprise now that she had actually confirmed it.

"There will be a number of changes taking effect immediately," she continued. "Mr. Draco Malfoy is leading the Inquisitor Squad, a group of students who share my feelings as to what Hogwarts is to be. They report to me. The head boy, head girl, and all of the prefects will report to them. They are empowered to enact punishments and dock house points for any infraction of the rules, and there will be changes to the rules here. The rule book is available in each common room of all four houses. I will have order here!"

Harry knew that it wouldn't be long before hell came knocking on the front door of the castle.

It started the next morning when Malfoy encountered Harry, Hermione, and Ron on the stairs coming down to breakfast. He smiled brightly at them.

"Good morning Potty," he said cheerfully.

Ron snarled and began to push past Harry and Malfoy smiled. "Ten points off for attacking me, Weasel."

Harry restrained Ron and shook his head. "He's not worth it, Ron. Let him be."

Malfoy laughed as he pushed past them. Harry continued on down the stairs to the great hall only to meet Filch at the doors.

"There you are Potter," he growled. "The headmistress wishes a word with you."

Harry sighed and followed Filch back out of the great hall and to the stairs. Harry wondered where they were going as they went past where the hall to the headmaster's office was. Harry speculated and then realized that Hogwarts had sealed up the headmaster's office against her. Harry felt a warm feeling go through him as he realized that Hogwarts was now fighting back. They entered the DADA classroom and went to the DADA professor's office. So she was forced to keep using this office then. Very interesting. Harry turned to watch Filch knock on her door. It opened revealing Umbridge. Harry wondered what the hell she wanted and knew he would find out in just a few minutes.

"Come in Mr. Potter," she simpered.

Harry hesitated and then walked in. Okay, let's see what the butt ugly toad was up to. He was directed to a chair in front of her desk and then she moved over to a sideboard.

"A drink, Mr. Potter?" she asked.

A red flag immediately went up. She was trying to give him a spiked drink. Harry considered his next action carefully.

"A coffee please," he replied. "Straight up and neat."

She blinked at that and then smiled. She turned her back on him and then made the drink quickly. Harry reached out with his senses and knew she was spiking his coffee. Harry nodded to himself as she turned around and placed the cup in front of him. Harry inclined his head and then picked up the cup. The Potter ring on his finger heated up for just a second and Harry felt the Potter Magic move within him and he knew it had just neutralized the drug in the coffee. Harry sipped.

"Oh dear, just a shade too hot," he said.

Umbridge smiled at him. "Oh too bad. I am most curious, have you seen Dumbledore?"

That told Harry that Dumbledore must be missing in action and that he hadn't returned from holiday.

"No… no I haven't," Harry scrunched up his face as he scratched his chin.

He took a bit more of the coffee.

"Where is your room?" he voice dropped a bit as if she was trying to hypnotize him.

Harry knew for sure the drink had been loaded. "So sorry, can't seem to remember."

Harry heard her teeth grind as she worked to control her temper. Harry began to act as if he was getting wobbly as he attempted to take another drink.

"Feeling… kinda funny… here now," Harry sighed as he acted like he couldn't hold onto the cup, deliberately missing the edge of the desk as he attempted to return the cup to the desk.

He saw the feral look of pleasure on her face. Harry leaned a bit too far over and crashed onto the desk, having missed with the cup and drenching the top of the desk with the coffee. His left hand came up and planted a magically hardened bug under her desk. The recorders in his trunk would copy everything said in here. Harry sighed and closed his eyes as if he was going to sleep. Umbridge slammed her hand down on her desk, making him jump up.

"WHERE IS YOUR ROOM POTTER!" she shouted at him.

Harry gave her a dopey smile and tilted his head. He watched her scurry around the desk and reach out to grab him. She shook him violently and asked the question once more.

"Where is your room?" she asked him, drawing out each word as if she was talking to a demented person and Harry giggled.

Harry knew it was time to leave when he saw her face slowly turn red and then purple from rage. He stood up and gave her another dopey smile and the headed for the door. She opened it and shoved him out into the hall. Harry stumbled down the hall and went round the corner. Harry came out of the hall in the right place where there was only one painting. The wizard that was pretending to sleep motioned to Harry after he hissed at him. Harry immediately slipped into the secret passageway and the painting snapped shut. Harry moved down the hall and felt the magic of Hogwarts wash over him and he knew he had just been moved to another place. He peeked out of that painting and made sure the coast was clear before zipping across the way into the open door of his private flat. Now he was safe.

Harry immediately sat down at his desk and wrote letters to Sirius and his family informing them of what had just happened and warned Sirius of potential trouble. Harry leaned back in his chair once the letters had been sent off. He wondered just what was to happen next.

(Tadeo,) Miyamoto spoke up, (a friend has just informed me that Umbridge has set watchers after you. Hogwarts is not about to let her get to you. I have also discovered a traitor from Ravenclaw has been stalking you in the last few months.)

Harry nodded at that. (I am not surprised, Miyamoto.)

(I wonder if he is responsible for putting those disturbing visions in your head,) Miyamoto said.

Harry sat up at that. (It would take a great deal of magic to get into my head completely. The visions I get have been inserted in quiet places of my mind. Perhaps it is time that Ron and I have a word with him and find out why.)

(Be careful, Tadeo. It would not do for you to get into trouble,) Miyamoto said.

Harry smiled. (Oh I never get into trouble, Miyamoto. It usually finds me first.)

(When are you going to leave here?) Miyamoto asked.

Harry stood up and went over to his recliner and sat down, stretching out in it. (Oh, in about an hour or two as she thinks I've gone someplace to sleep it off.)

(She did kind of give you a free hour or two,) Miyamoto chuckled. (I can wake you up in time for your next class.)

(Please, thank you,) Harry said as he stretched out in his recliner.

This would give him the chance to come up with another plan for dealing with the toad. What Harry didn't know was the castle was one step ahead of him in wanting to fight the toad.

Harry took his usual place in Transfigurations a bit early and waited for Hermione to show up. What he got was an extremely pissed off McGonagall. She stood over him and glared down at him. Harry looked up at her.

"I'm just as pissed off at them as much as you are," Harry began. "If it wasn't for the fact that the DADA position couldn't be filled the Toad wouldn't be here and that is not your fault. You did the best you could and now the both of us have to deal with this intrusion. She wanted to know where my room was and she fed me a spiked coffee in order to get that information from me. I will do what I can to keep her running after me and her little lap dogs too so the rest of you can do what you need to. I suggest you and the other teachers document everything she does and says as we can somehow turn this thing around on her and Fudge. I wonder just how much control she has over him."

McGonagall seemed to deflate a bit. "I've heard rumors."

Harry nodded. "Rumors is a start, but we really need to know. How are we going to knock her down?"

"I'll put the word out, Harry. This isn't going to last forever," she said as she moved up to her desk.

The door opened and people started coming in. Hermione joined Harry as his seat.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

Harry sighed. "The Toad spiked my coffee and tried to get information from me."

Hermione's eyes got big. "That's a violation of your personal rights!"

"It is, and not much we can do about it now. I've already documented it and I plan on documenting everything as I intend to sue at the end of the school year. For now we keep on," Harry said.

Hermione nodded as the class got started. "I heard that she got Lee Jordan into detention."

Harry nodded. "I'll find him and let him know what to expect."

Harry did find him later in the day and followed him into the boy's bathroom.

"Hey Lee," Harry nodded to him coming up next to him at the sinks. "Hear the Toad got you."

Lee growled. "Yeah. That… thing gave me a detention for daring to question her."

"She got me too. I had to do lines with a Blood Quill," Harry said.

Lee reacted to that. "So the rumors are true!"

Harry sighed as another boy joined them at the sinks. "Very true. I suggest you document it with pictures once you get back to the Gryffindor commons room. I'm documenting everything she says and does to me so I can sue her at the end of the school year."

Lee and the other boy grinned. "So will we."

"If you hear of others having detention with her or had detention with her, pass it on. The more of us that is able to attack her the better," Harry said.

"Does that mean pranks against her?" the other boy asked.

Harry leaned his head back and twisted his head side to side to crack his neck muscles. "I did not hear that suggestion to flat out prank her big fat ugly ass."

Lee and the other boy grinned as they left the bathroom, Harry right behind them. A door to one of the stalls opened and Fred Weasley emerged. He had a huge smile on his face.

"Oh Mr. Potter, how positively bad ass you are," Fred grinned. "This is going to be a lot of fun!"

He leaned his head back and laughed out loud. He left the bathroom to find his twin. They had plans to make, pranks to pull, and revenge to gain.

If Umbridge thought she could bring Hogwarts to their knees, she was wrong. Lee Jordan struck the first blow the next morning with a simple prank, making the suits of armor croak anytime Umbridge passed one. By the end of the day she was steaming mad. She couldn't prove who was doing it so she struck back by throwing people into detention for whatever reason she could find. The pranking slowly escalated to the point where Umbridge was running after people in an effort to get them back. The Educational Decrees began to pile up faster than Filch could hang them up. Filch had definitely gone over to her side, making an effort to stop all of the pranking as well and the school simply included him in the pranks as well. The DA continued to meet on a regular basis, Harry teaching everybody defensive spells, moving beyond the fifth year requirements by now. Filch must have known something was going on as he took up a position in that particular hallway in an effort to catch students going to Harry's class, but Hogwarts was one step ahead of everyone as usual, creating new ways to get into the Room of Requirement. But the real work was getting done down in Slytherin's chamber beneath the school. Harry slipped down there one Saturday evening and found Ron leaning over a large worktable with a map of the Hogwarts grounds stretched out over it.

"Ron," Harry nodded as he handed Ron some coffee. "How's the planning going?"

Ron stretched, making things pop in his back. "Not too bad, Harry. I've been working up a plan to defend the castle for when the Dark Dork comes calling. I've got quite a few of your ninja friends committed to the defense. Charlie just wrote to me and informed me that I could count on a number of handlers and their dragons to help with the defense. They can rig up saddles that can carry two riders, one to pilot and the other to provide cover from the air using spells and potions. Fred and George are coming up with all kinds of neat things the riders can throw at the DE's and their friends."

"Very cool," Harry said. "Dobby was my envoy to the Hogwarts house elves and we just got their support. Seems Umbridge has been making life very hard for them too."

"Uh, oops?" Ron grinned.

Harry had to smile at that. "Oops indeed. The house elves are ready to riot."

"As long as she is their target I'm fine with that," Ron said.

Harry took a moment to look around the chamber. "Somebody's been busy down here."

There were boxes stacked neatly against one wall. A bunch of bunk beds lined another wall. Harry inspected one box to find glass vials filled with colored liquid.

"Be careful with those," Ron called out to Harry, "those are under stasis spells and I don't want to see you get hurt. Those are Fred and George creations, and they tell me they are bad stuff."

"As long as the DE's get hit with them," Harry said.

Ron sat down in a chair with his coffee. "Those two have been cooking up some really nasty stuff. They really are evil minded terrors."

Harry had to laugh at that. "Could have told you that."

Harry continued to inspect the area and discovered separate bathrooms and showers.

"I'm thinking that if things do get bad in the school some of us can go to ground down here," Ron said. "Sal was the one who proposed the idea, suggesting that some of us may become targets if Snape and the DE's do take over, we would have a safe place to run to down here. As he does still have pull with Hogwarts, the chamber can and will be protected. Neville's been stockpiling food down here in a separate area under stasis and preservation spells. He's been very helpful, helping me fine tune the battle plan by playing the enemy and pushing me to cover up holes and weak spots. He's quite vicious when it comes to playing Wizard's Chess."

A bit of laughter came out of the dark as Slytherin shimmered into being. "Thank you Mr. Weasley, for that very descriptive bit of respect for my playing skills."

Harry grinned as Slytherin joined them. He steepled his fingers as he looked at Harry.

"Nice to see you again, young warrior. I hear you are feuding with a lady called the Toad?" he grinned at Harry. "I can teach you a few wonderful curses to use on her."

"Thank you for your generous offer sir. Ron, I am going to need your help. Hermione is convinced there is somebody following me around and using dark magic to put things in my head. The last few days I've been feeling very dark intentions directed at me and I know for sure it's not Malfoy. That little boy couldn't do things like that as he's too busy plotting to try and take me down. Time I take this kid down and out of action against me," Harry said.

"The sooner the better," Ron said. "So how do we work this?"

Harry grinned. "Simple. You shadow me for a few days, find out who he or she is, and we set up a trap in the far corner of the library and go from there."

Ron grinned at that. "Sounds good to me. Let's do this thing."

Harry told Slytherin all about his visions and what had been suggested. The man sat there for a bit and pulled on his beard as he listened.

"That does sound like very dark magic," he finally said. "The fact that this is happening after you have set up your Occlumency shields tells me that this person is very skilled. Be very careful when dealing with this person."

"We will," Harry said. "I just want to know why he or she is doing this."

Ron looked up. "I say he's working for Voldemort and he sent him after you because he wants something from you."

"Even more important we catch them and find out," Harry said.

Ron glanced at his watch. "Curfew is in thirty minutes. We need to get out of here."

Harry and Ron stood up and nodded to Slytherin.

"Have a good night sir," Harry said.

Slytherin nodded back to them. "And to you."

The moving stairs brought them up to ground level and they emerged from a painting underneath the great stairs. Harry reached out with his feelings and discovered the area was clear. Ron and Harry stepped out of the shadows and headed up the stairs. Harry led the way up the stairs as Ron followed. Harry felt his senses warn him of a Slytherin hiding in the shadows of a suit of armor so he made a point to talk a bit loudly of the secret room they had supposedly discovered.

"Never knew we could find interesting stuff in those secret rooms, Ron. Those wizard cards were awesome," Harry declared as they waited for the moving stairs to return.

Ron nodded as he caught on. "They're better than going to History of Magic, Harry. I've got quite a few of them now. Getting those chocolate frogs can be a bit expensive."

"I am going to pull my collection and see what holes I can fill in," Harry said. "I should trade my extras for ones I really need."

The moving stairs arrived and the both of them went up them to the third floor. Harry and Ron went around the corner and into a painting that opened for them. It took them right to Harry's secret flat.

"Think he bought it?" Ron asked a moment later.

Harry sighed. "I hope he did. Either he's my stalker or he's one of the Inquisitor Squad. I think he was one of the Toad's spies."

"I don't see any of this getting any better anytime soon," Ron said. "I just hope we can hold out until the summer holidays."

Harry nodded. "We can and we will. We just have to hang in there."

Harry knew that was easier said than done. Ron left the flat once the coast was clear. Harry sat down at his desk and sipped a bit of tea. He leaned back in his office chair and wondered just how much longer things would go before someone got pushed over the line and make a stab at Umbridge. She was definitely making life miserable for everybody in Hogwarts.

Harry looked over the note he was given at breakfast the next morning. It was a summons to McGonagall's office to meet in regards to what career he might be interested after graduation. Harry hadn't given any kind of thought about it at all and now McGonagall wanted to discuss it with him.

"Oh yes," Hermione said. "I've been doing quite a bit of reading to what kind of careers are available in the Wizarding world. Been checking out books from the library to look over the various things you can do here in the Magical World."

"Didn't know McGonagall was conducting career advice class," Harry said.

Hermione nodded. "I've already seen her and what we discussed was very interesting. So I've been reading up on various things."

Harry sighed. "I haven't given any of that a thought I've been so busy with trying to survive the year."

"Go and she what she has to say," Hermione said.

Harry turned back to his breakfast. "Okay, I will."

Harry knocked on McGonagall's office door, the one she had used for her Transfiguration classes. She had retreated back to it once Umbridge took over the headmistress position. She was still unable to get into the headmaster's office as it had sealed up tight the moment she announced she was taking over. The door opened and McGonagall stood there in front of Harry. She did not look happy. McGonagall gave him a slight move of the head and he instantly knew. The Toad was there.

"Come in, Mr. Potter," she said.

Harry walked in and took a seat and glanced over at Umbridge sitting in the corner. She smirked at him and Harry had the sudden feeling that this was not going to go well.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter. I called you in here to discuss with you your career options," she began. "There are a number of careers one can choose to follow. My advice is to follow your strengths. What is it you had in mind to do after you leave here?"

Harry nodded. "I was thinking about becoming an Auror."

McGonagall beamed. "Splendid! The requirements are a bit strict, you need a minimum of five NEWTS or more…"

"Hem hem," Umbridge cleared her throat, and Harry watched McGonagall react, her face getting hard for a moment.

"You need to be top of the class in the core classes…"

"Hem hem," came once more.

McGonagall turned to the Toad in her corner. "What is it you want?"

"I do believe one of the requirements is a clean record," Umbridge stated, a slight smile on her face. "Mr. Potter has a criminal record."

Harry's face clouded over and he turned to face Umbridge. McGonagall reacted, laying a hand on Harry's arm.

"Potter has been cleared of all charges," McGonagall stated.

"That is still on his record and that is enough to disqualify him from ever working at the Ministry," Umbridge smiled sweetly.

Harry considered taking a swipe at her and then reconsidered after having the immediate thought that she was trying to goad him into doing something against her.

"I think that's something for them to consider, don't you think?" Harry returned a smile.

Umbridge glared at Potter. "I am in a position to ensure that you will never work anywhere in the Ministry, Potter!"

That was more than enough to convince Harry that she was planning on making his life as miserable as she possibly could. The Pink Toad was planning something that involved the Ministry. Harry decided a strategic retreat was in order before things escalated. Harry stood up and turned to McGonagall and bowed to her.

"I believe I've taken up more than enough of your time, Lady McGonagall. I will see you in class tomorrow morning," Harry smiled at her.

Harry picked up his pack and headed for the door. Just as he closed the door Harry heard McGonagall start in on the Pink Toad. That had gone rather well.

It finally happened the middle of March. Umbridge and Filch finally caught one of the pranksters that had made life very hard for Umbridge. Fred and George didn't show up for one of the DA classes one night making Harry wonder what happened to them. Harry had been the last to leave that Saturday afternoon, having held the class in the late afternoon prior to dinner as he had been calling the class at various times in the day to try and avoid detection. He discovered Filch in the hallway leaving Umbridge's office and he seemed to be overjoyed about something. Frowning he followed the old man down to the main foyer of the school and discovered a mob down there surrounding Fred, George, the inquisitor Squad, and Umbridge. She was glaring at Fred and George who looked unconcerned about what could possibly happen to them.

"I've got it!" Filch panted as he pushed through to where Umbridge was standing. "I've got the approval forms for the whipping they deserve! I've got the whip ready for them!"

Harry felt a chill of fear run through him as the crowd of kids looking on began to loudly protest.

"BE QUIET!" Umbridge shouted, letting off a few bangs from her wand.

Fred and George looked unconcerned about their fate and Harry wondered what they were up to.

"SO!" she turned on them. "You thought you could cause a disruption to the school! You thought you could prank me in MY SCHOOL AND GET AWAY WITH IT? I think not. You shall be punished for your criminal acts against me, against Hogwarts, and against the Ministry!"

Fred and George turned to each other and nodded.

"Yeah…"

"Sounds about right…"

Umbridge was so close to blowing a fuse and Harry hoped she would.

"STOP THAT!" she screamed at them.

"Stop what?"

"We talk…" Fred said.

"Like this…" George said.

"All the time…" Fred continued.

"And it's fun…" George grinned.

"And you can't touch that!" both of them rapped out, grinning.

People broke out laughing at their performance. In spite of himself Harry had to smile. Never a dull moment with those two around, that's for sure. Harry looked up to see Peeves joining in the laughter as well. Peeves had gone after Umbridge with a passion ever since she tried to have him expelled from the castle. Rumor had it that McGonagall had turned him loose on the Toad. Rumor also had it that the only people Peeves ever respected were the Weasley Twins. Harry believed it.

"SHUT UP!" Umbridge screamed, so close to really losing it.

She turned to the twins and glared at them. "As the headmistress of this school, I hereby sentence you to be punished for pranking, causing numerous disruptions to the school, assaulting the members of the Inquisitor Squad, and causing mayhem."

Fred and George beamed brightly. Harry shook his head and laughed.

"And so proud of it!" both of them said in unison.

That got another round of cheers.

Umbridge pointed to them. "Your punishment is twelve lashes!"

Fred turned to George and nodded. George nodded back and both of them turned to face Umbridge.

"We don't think so…" Fred began.

"Very illegal to whip a kid…" George growled.

"You'll be in big trouble…" Fred snarled.

"Brother of mine, I think we're done here…" George said.

"School is no fun…" Fred said.

"Here anymore…" George stated.

Harry was quick to agree with that and so were the others surrounding him. The twins nodded to each other and raised their wands.

"What… what are you doing?" Umbridge faltered.

"ACCIO BROOMS!" Fred and George called out at the same time.

Far in the distance there was a very loud crash, as if something had gone through a door somewhere. Harry instantly knew what it was and he turned just in time to see a pair of brooms come flying out of a hallway, out over the stairs, and come streaking downward with the chains that had secured them to the wall of Umbridge's office. Harry began to laugh as the brooms came to a halt in front of the twins, the pegs hitting the floor.

"Cheerio!" called out Fred.

"Do forget to write!" George laughed.

"Don't call us!" Fred grinned.

"Don't forget us though!" George laughed out loud.

They kicked off and rose up out of reach.

"HI YO SILVER AWAY!" both of them yelled as they tossed something in the air and then took off out the open doors, a single little firecracker going off behind them.

Suddenly fireworks began going off on every floor above them as the crowd watching the twins leave broke out in loud cheers. Even McGonagall was smiling brightly as Flitwick was jumping up and down in joy. Umbridge, Filch, and the Inquisitor Squad were screaming loudly trying to restore order. It didn't take long for a snowstorm of colored confetti to cover the floor and everybody. People were enjoying the spectacle of fireworks going off in all directions. Even the paintings were having a good time. It took about a half hour for all of the fireworks to fizzle out and people began heading into the great hall for dinner. The house elves must have been in a festive mood because they sent up the best they had and made dinner a bit festive. The enchanted ceiling got into the festive mood by showing fireworks above everybody. The Toad was beyond furious and Harry had the feeling that she would retaliate somehow. How she would do it was anyone's guess.

The next morning at breakfast Umbridge glared at everybody in the hall as she paced back and forth in front of the high table where the staff and teachers would sit for their meals.

"The events of yesterday will not happen again. I have every intention of bringing all of you to heel. Due to people's actions yesterday the Hogsmeade visits shall not continue for the rest of the year."

Everybody in the hall booed her soundly.

"All of you are expected to act maturely and none of you have with the exception of a few of you and I am proud of them for acting like the mature adult that they are. If you do not act like mature people, you will be punished. That is all," Umbridge said and returned to her seat.

Harry sighed as he thought about what she had just said. This could only make things even worse. Harry knew that people would be looking to him for advice, and it would simply be to hang on until the end of the year, as Umbridge would be out and McGonagall would find a way to take over once more. That however, was up to Harry. Luna's father ran a paper called the Quibbler. That would be the best way to fight back. Harry turned to Luna and she nodded to him.

"Daddy's ready to start running articles on what's going on around here," she said. "I just need to interview you for one of the articles."

"How are you gonna get the information out of here? The toad has the owlery locked down tight," Harry reminded her.

"Does she?" Luna smiled devilishly.

Harry grinned as he caught on. "So, what do you want to know?"

"We need a room to sit in for a bit so I can get your information," she said.

Hermione smiled at them. "Shouldn't be a problem, I know just the perfect spot."

They agreed on a meeting spot and when before heading out to classes for the day. Harry was sure that Umbridge would like the interview.

A week later the Quibbler with Harry's face on the cover came out. Umbridge came after him at breakfast the next morning, her face so red with anger Harry hoped she would either have a stroke or a heart attack before starting in on him. Naturally Malfoy and the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad surrounded them as she started in on Harry.

"Do you know what this is?" Umbridge snarled at Harry, slapping him on the face with something rolled up as he looked at her.

"Not sure," Harry replied as he sipped his coffee. "Your pedigree papers?"

Umbridge unrolled it and showed it to Harry. He inspected the item in her hands, the smile becoming apparent at the cover of the Quibbler with his smiling face on it.

"Would you look at that," Harry grinned. "They got my good side!"

Umbridge pulled it out of his grasp and smacked him with it on the top of his head. "This is a piece of trash! How dare you get them to print lies about us? The Ministry is not the enemy of the people! I am not trying to destroy this noble school! He… is not back! This is an insult to me! Draco Malfoy is not a suck up! He is a fine noble upstanding young man who has his priorities straight! He is helping me fight your slander and lies! The Minister and I shall do everything possible to stop this rag from spreading your lies!"

"While you're at it, shut down the Prophet for spreading lies about me," Harry said calmly. "The fact that you and Fudge is telling them exactly what to print about me and other good honest upstanding citizens of Magical England is not honorable."

She puffed up in indignation. "We are not the ones telling the lies!"

"Well, can you tell me who is and I'll start up lawsuits against them," Harry said. "Should get them arrested, too."

"We will not tell you anything, Potter!" she screeched at him. "They are good people!"

Harry smiled at her sadly. "I will never stop speaking the truth. There is something terribly wrong with a government that is afraid of the truth the common people tell each other about those who have the power to run other people's lives. When a government starts telling the people what to do, how to act, and what they are allowed to say, it's time to stand up and fight back. We, the little people, will win."

She snarled at Harry and then went up front. The hall went quiet.

"If anyone is caught with this subversive magazine will be escorted out of Hogwarts, no matter who you are, staff, students, and teachers, you will be walked to the front gate and your wand snapped. Am I very clear on this?" Umbridge shouted. "I hereby order the Inquisitorial Squad to start searching though everything to find this filthy rag for immediate destruction and that person will be brought to me for immediate dismissal!"

Harry knew now that Umbridge was completely out of control. It would have to take something drastic to get her shut down. Harry was starting to consider taking her out and then reconsidered as her turning up dead after this little confrontation would not be in his best interests. No, she needed to have an 'accident' someplace else instead. How that was to happen he had yet to figure out. She had to go. There just was no other way around it. Harry sighed and decided a round of letters had to go out tonight. Sirius and Lupin needed to know about this. Harry watched as Umbridge settled herself into the Headmaster's Chair and wished the thing would burn her ass off. Harry sighed and turned back to his breakfast and discovered he had lost his appetite.

The final Quidditch game of the year, Ravenclaw against the Gryffindors, was to be the big one. Harry debated on going to the game or not. In the end he decided not to. He wandered down to the boathouse and sat on the docks watching the birds fly past. His mind played the what if game, what if this, or what if that. He turned to see Hermione behind him.

"Couldn't let you go off on your own," Hermione said.

Harry sighed as he nodded. "Got too much on my mind right now, Hermione. The big thought is that I wish all of this was done and over."

"What I've been thinking, Harry. But it's not over until Voldemort goes down for the last time," Hermione said. "And the DE's with him."

"Then the next battle starts," Harry said.

Hermione turned to look at him. "Which one is that one?"

"The one to get the Wizarding World reorganized and things made better," Harry said. "A lot of work to do there."

"I agree, Harry. But we can't change things overnight. Going to take a few years to do it," Hermione said. "We might not be able to change everything, but we can change some things."

"And it will be worth it," Harry said. "There's some chairs inside the boathouse. Let me go get them and we can watch life grow for a bit."

Hermione knew what Harry meant. It was a Zen meditation concept, a good way to settle the stress in one's mind and there was certainly a lot of it in her mind, and Harry's.

"This will be the last bit of peace and quiet we will get before our OWLS (Ordinary Wizarding Levels). So much work we need to do before we take the exams," she said.

"We'll be fine, Hermione. Just need to be sure of our information before we go in there and knock them out. We can help each other study," Harry grinned as they sat down in the deck chairs and held hands. "We'll be fine."

Harry hoped that there wouldn't be any more problems to deal with for the rest on the year.

Saturday night as Harry headed up to the seventh floor for the DA, he began to feel funny, like something was wrong. He noted a few of the paintings looking at him funny and he wondered why. He reached the seventh floor and as soon as he walked into the hall leading to the room of requirement, he felt people step out of hiding behind him. He turned the corner and found Umbridge, Fudge, Snape, and Filch standing there. Suddenly he knew. The DA had been compromised.

"Good evening," Harry said politely.

Umbridge snarled at him as she walked up to him. "We know about the illegal club you started, Potter. It's been shut down for good."

Harry nodded. Somehow he had the feeling that this would happen sooner or later. At least he managed to teach people a few things, and in the process a few people had taught the others things. A number of people had gained by it and Harry knew he had accomplished he goals with the club.

"I see," Harry said, not trying to deny it.

Fudge frowned at Harry. "Now see here, Potter. You need to understand that the Ministry is in charge of everything, including this school. We are the experts who know just what it is we want you little children to learn, and not what you have been teaching."

"I say the brat has been behind everything that's been going on around here," Filch snarled.

Harry calmly nodded to Filch. "Can you prove that sir?"

Filch and Umbridge growled at that and Harry knew he had them with that.

"I demand to know where your quarters are," Umbridge snarled.

Harry turned to her. "So you can plant manufactured evidence against me?"

Umbridge turned a dark red from anger and Harry knew he had her right there with that.

"Fact is, you really can't prove much of anything without rock solid evidence and witness testimony so there's really nothing you can do," Harry continued, mentally thanking Hermione for the crash course in Wizarding Law she had been giving him over the year.

Hermione had touched on the major points that could possibly be used against Harry and that had been helpful to a point.

Fudge deflated a bit knowing Harry was right on that. "Very well. I hereby order the Inquisitor Squad to escort Mr. Potter round Hogwarts at all times. Mr. Potter is to be confined to secure quarters in the event that he is not needed anywhere. This official order has been committed to parchment and is now handed over to Headmistress Umbridge for action. That should keep you in line, Mr. Potter. Can't have you building an army to take over the Wizarding World."

It took a lot for Harry to keep from breaking out in laughter at that. "You really think I want to rule the Wizarding World? No thanks. I've seen what that desire has done to people and I don't want any part of that. I just want to do my time here at Hogwarts and go live a very quiet life in a tiny corner of England somewhere and have a family. I'm not even interested in working for the Ministry, so rest your mind on that one."

"Good," Fudge snorted as he handed the parchment over to Umbridge.

"Just one question," Harry said. "Do I get privacy in my new quarters? Really don't want Malfoy there watching me in the loo."

Harry felt a hard smack on the back of his head and he turned to face Malfoy. "You are sick, Potter!"

Goyle cracked his knuckles. "Maybe you guys ought to ship him off to the mental ward at St. Mungo's."

Harry had actually worked a scenario in his head in the event that happened.

"No, it would be better if he stayed here," Fudge said. "Now off with him."

Malfoy grinned at him as he motioned for Harry to walk out of the seventh floor hallway after him. He led the little pack of Inquisitorial Squad with Harry in the middle down to the dungeons area and into a small plain looking room. There were people watching as the squad led him down the stairs to the ground floor. Harry caught the eye of Neville and slightly nodded to him. Neville and Harry had come up with a few contingencies in the event that he was busted by the Toad. He looked around after the door was closed and locked behind him. The walls were grey, there was a small table with two chairs, a bed in the far corner that Harry went over to and inspected finding it to be fairly comfortable. There was a smaller door open and it was the bathroom. It had the commode, shower, and a small sink. Harry walked back into the room and flopped down on the bed. He was sure there were listening charms in the room, he didn't put it past them to have put them there. So now he would play their game for a time until he found the right key to get out of here, and he had the feeling that would happen very soon. Harry relaxed and slipped into meditation, heading to the Japanese style castle he had so very carefully constructed in his mind. He needed to work this new problem out in his head but he wasn't too worried. If he knew Neville he was initiating the contingency plan that the both of them had worked out one rainy Saturday afternoon when the Toad had first taken over the school.

Neville got busy immediately and contacted the core group about what had just happened. Naturally Hermione had freaked out and it took Ron, Luna, and Neville to get her to calm down.

"What are we to do now?" Hermione stated.

Ron sighed. "Someone has to contact his family, Sirius, and Lupin. No going to McGonagall, I know they are watching her."

Hermione had a Goblin mailbox that Harry had asked for and given to her to use in an emergency situation, and this certainly was an emergency situation. "I'll get some letters out right away."

"That's a start. For now we watch them from a distance to see what kind of escorting around they do with Harry. At some point someone's going to get lax and we can make a move. Especially with the situation Harry's dealing with," Neville said.

"The person who's messing with his mind," Ron said. "Sal said he would help with that because he's really good with the Mind Arts."

Hermione nodded. "Good. Harry says that Hogwarts will help and I believe him on that as he seems to have some kind of connection with Hogwarts."

"I believe," Luna said. "I have heard her whisper to me in the deep parts of my mind."

Neville nodded. "Thank you love. Your connection to Hogwarts will be most helpful. For right now we just need to hang back and watch things for a bit. Once we know what's going on with Harry, then we can act. We don't need anybody to go off on them. Not yet anyway."

The group grinned at that and the meeting broke up. On her way back to the Gryffindor Tower, Hermione spotted the squealer and glared at the girl. Hermione knew because the girl was wearing one of those beanie hats one wears out in the snow very low over her forehead. She discretely followed her into the bathroom.

"I didn't want to!" Marge squealed in fright at the glare Hermione gave her. "The Toad made threats against my Mum and Dad, said she would see to it they got blacklisted from working anywhere in the Magical World! They are purebloods, not knowing anything about the Muggle world like you do! Even threatened to hand me over to Malfoy and his friends before dragging me out of Hogwarts and snapping my wand!"

Hermione backed down once she realized Marge was telling the truth. "I suggest you talk to your parents and letting them know what's going on and how they made you sell out Harry Potter. For now do what you can to avoid the Ferret. Get out of my sight."

Marge fled from the bathroom as Hermione leaned against one of the sinks and sighed.

Next Episode: Harry's mental attacker is caught, battle with Umbridge, and battle at the Ministry!


End file.
